


stronger than heaven

by supersapphics



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:27:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25633543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphics/pseuds/supersapphics
Summary: Alec has always felt like he didn't belong anywhere, but for a long time, he always assumed he was imagining it - until two women show up and tell him the truth: Alec is a Shadowhunter, a secret group of people who save humans from demonkind. Unfortunately, Alec was stolen from the Shadowhunters as an infant and raised as a mortal. Now the only way he can rejoin his birth family and society is to prove his worth.Alec immediately sets out to do just that, but then he meets Magnus, who proves to be very...distracting....
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, background Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood - Relationship, implied Luke/Maryse
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a re-upload from my previous account of the same name.

“Asmodeus.”

Asmodeus looks up reluctantly from the book on quantum mechanics he’s been reading. It was written by his favorite son, which is saying something, considering how many children he has scattered around the world.

The demon standing in front of him is no one he recognizes. He almost has to admire the nerve of him, to waltz into Asmodeus’ place like this with no invitation. Almost.

He lowers the book and asks in a silky voice, “Yes?”

The other demon freezes upon hearing his tone, but he shows some spine by straightening up and meeting his eye. “I’ve just heard something from Azazel. Well, not from him specifically, I overheard him talking and –”

“Is there a point to this story?” Asmodeus interrupts, giving the other demon a _look_ to let him know he’s on thin ice (figuratively speaking, of course. This is Edom after all).

“Azazel has heard of a prophecy,” says the other in a rush. “A prophecy concerning you and a newly born Shadowhunter, named Alexander Lightwood. The Shadowhunter, claims the prophecy, is destined to be your destruction. As soon as I heard the prophecy, I knew I had to come here and warn you.”

“A Shadowhunter? Destroy me? You jest, surely.” To show what he thinks of the other demon’s story, he opens his book and begins to read again.

“It is true,” the other insists. “The prophecy mentioned you specifically.”

“Fine,” Asmodeus says, “I will look into it. In the meantime –” He waves his hand and the demon before him bursts into flames. Asmodeus watches in satisfaction as he screams and writhes in pain before quite literally turning to a crisp.

He attempts to return his attention to his book after that, but unfortunately his focus is shot. Alexander Lightwood. The second name is familiar to him. Permanently banished to Edom he may be, but he keeps track of what happens on the Earth above him, and the name of a very prestigious, vocally anti-Downworlder Shadowhunter family is not foreign to him.

He turns the idea over in his mind. Firstly, he finds the idea of a Shadowhunter being able to defeat him laughable. He’s a Greater Demon who’s millennia old, for fuck’s sake. Second, how is the Lightwood supposed to reach him? He’d have to venture down to Edom to kill him, and what Shadowhunter would do that?

On the other hand, you can never be too safe. And to be honest, whether the brat is a legitimate threat to him or not, what’s the downside to having him killed? He’s a Shadowhunter. It will be Asmodeus’ pleasure.

He sets the book aside as he considers who to send to complete this task. He can’t leave Edom to do it himself, which is a shame, but asking another demon to take care of it is out of the question. He has pride to think of, after all. He briefly toys with the idea of asking Magnus – his son wouldn’t be able to refuse him, considering his soul is Asmodeus’ property, but then he’d have to listen to Magnus whine and bitch about his _conscience_ and his _morals_ and he’s simply not in the mood for that right now. No, he’ll dispatch some of his loyal human followers to take care of the Lightwood brat, and that will be that.

Maryse stroked a fingertip down her son’s face. Alexander was sound asleep, looking like nothing else except a baby angel. She couldn’t believe he’d come from her, that he was _hers._ She clutched him closer to her chest and continued staring dreamily down at him.

“Maryse? Maryse, come to bed.”

She looked up at her husband. “In a minute.”

“Maryse, it’s late, and we have an early day tomorrow.”

She sighed at Robert’s words, but she knew he was right. Clave work never stopped, even when you’d just had a baby 72 hours ago.

Maryse lowered Alexander into his crib and stood admiring him for another moment before reluctantly joining Robert in bed.

The next morning, Robert, Maryse, and Alexander take a portal to New York. Alexander seems fascinated by the portal, staring up at the swirling magic surrounding them and giggling. Maryse smiles down at him, her heart full to bursting, and glances over at Robert, who’s staring impatiently at his watch. She sighs.

The day ahead promises to be full of boring meetings. Maryse wishes they didn’t have to leave Idris to attend them, but certain meetings require Downworlders to be present, and since Downworlders can’t enter Idris, a trip to New York is necessary. Maryse parts reluctantly from her baby boy at the door, but she knows it’s better for him to leave him with a Shadowhunter nanny who can give him their full attention.

After the third horrifically dull meeting with a werewolf representative, Maryse decides she needs to breast feed, so she excuses herself and walks downstairs to the nursery.

When she pushes open the door to the room, the first thing she notices is the nanny lying on the ground, unconscious. She gasps and rushes forward, but just before she reaches the other woman, her gaze lands on the crib – the empty crib.

“No,” she hears herself choke out. “No – please no –”

But the crib is indeed empty. Her baby boy is nowhere in sight.

Feeling numb, Maryse rouses the nanny and questions her, but the other woman remembers nothing useful. “I was rocking Alexander to sleep and then I heard a noise behind me,” the other woman says, her lower lip trembling as she struggles not to cry. “That’s the last thing I remember. I’m so sorry, Maryse, I –”

Maryse doesn’t hear the rest. The nanny’s voice fades to white noise as she rises to her feet and walks outside. Not knowing what else to do, she begins walking around the neighborhood, stopping everyone she sees and asking them if they’ve seen anyone with a baby pass by. A few people say yes, but when she clarifies further that it would have been a newborn boy with a patch of jet-black hair, everyone sadly shake their heads no.

Hours later, Maryse returns to Robert. They return to the streets together, but it’s no use. Nowhere they search yields any results. No one they ask has seen anything.

Over the next several months, they organize massive search parties. They post signs all over New York City. They even employ the mundane police. Nothing helps.

It’s like Alexander has vanished into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been happening for as long as he can remember.

When he was four years old, he was playing in his foster family’s backyard when he noticed a funny shape in the bushes. Curious, he crawled over and pulled apart the bushes to find pixies building a nest. Of course, at the time, he didn’t recognize them as pixies; he only thought of them as tiny humans. He asked them what they were doing, and they answered, but he couldn’t understand their speech.

“Alec, sweetie, what are you doing over there? Don’t play in the bushes, you’re going to get all dirty.”

He turned and saw his foster mother, Roxanne, approaching.

“There’s teeny people in here,” Alec explained, pointing.

“Teeny people?” Roxanne echoed. “Let me see.” She bent down next to him, Alec watching her expectantly. After a moment she looked over at him and teased, “There’s nothing here, sweetheart.”

He frowned. “Teeny people,” he insisted. “Right there.” He tapped the branch where two pixies were magically binding leaves and twigs together to build the roof of their house.

“Okay, Alec, let’s get you inside and washed up for dinner,” Roxanne suggested, picking him up, but he squirmed in her arms, demanding to be let down so he could say goodbye to the tiny humans.

Roxanne managed to get him off the topic when she placed his dinner before him, but when she tucked him into bed that night and read him his bedtime story, he got very excited over the illustrations on page 7. “Teeny people!” he cried, smacking his little hand against the page.

“Pixies?” Roxanne questioned, and watched Alec nod vigorously.

“I saw pixies in the bushes. They were building with the leaves.”

Roxanne frowned, not knowing what to say. She finally decided to humor him, thinking maybe that would ease him off the idea, but it didn’t work. Every day when she brought him home from preschool, he would race to the backyard as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him and peel open the bushes to look at the teeny people. One day, she overheard him carrying on a fluent conversation with thin air.

“I couldn’t understand them when they talked before,” Alec told her one day. “Coz their voices were all high and squeaky. But now I can understand them and they talk to me and I talk back. Wanna know what they said? They said they really like this bush and they wanna stay.” He giggled delightedly and Roxanne’s heart broke. She wasn’t opposed to imagination, but she was worried that encouraging this kind of behavior might have negative long term effects. Alec should be playing with children his own age, not conversing with thin air. She knew that imaginary friends were normal at this age, but if Alec were to, for example, run around the yard because he and his imaginary friend were playing chase, that would be one thing. That wouldn’t seem unhealthy to her. But Alec squatting by a bush and conversing with it because he thought pixies lived there was an entirely different situation.

As he got older, the situation just grew more and more out of control. Not only did Alec continue to speak with the pixies everyday, but he started telling tall tales of people with strange tattoos, werewolves, vampires, fairies – it seemed like every few days he had a new story. Finally, Roxanne couldn’t take it anymore. None of the psychologists she’d sent Alec to had been able to help. His teacher had been of no use. Roxanne saw no other option but to return Alec to the system.

As Alec grows, his life continues in much the same way. He’s regularly taken in by new families, but never stays with any family for longer than a few months. Eventually he’s old enough to understand that maybe he should keep quiet about the things he sees, but that just makes him quiet and withdrawn. Every family who takes him in complains that he’s impossible to connect with. At school, his classmates claim the same thing. Alec spends most of his childhood isolated and alone, wondering over and over again why his biological family gave him up. Why he wasn’t good enough. What his life could be like if they’d loved him enough to keep him.

Finally, he turns 18 and the foster system is no longer legally responsible for him. He walks out the door without looking back and heads straight for Columbia, where he decides he wants to become a lawyer, specializing in child rights. He wants to help take care of kids and make sure they’re being treated fairly, in the ways he often wasn’t. He throws himself into his studies and tries to convince himself that he doesn’t need a family or a sense of belonging. He’s fine without either of those things, really. He works so hard he almost manages to convince himself of it. Almost.

In his sophomore year, he admits to himself that he’s gay and begins dating. None of his relationships last very long and Alec tries not to let himself believe that it’s because he’s fundamentally broken and therefore unlovable (that’s why his biological family abandoned him, and no foster family ever wanted to keep him, and none of his classmates ever wanted to be his friend…) He grits his teeth and forbids himself to feel.

He’s 24 now, in his second year of law school and at the top of his class. He takes classes full time and works part time at a law firm that specializes in child custody after divorces. He’s so busy that he has almost no time for anything else.

One day in late spring, he wakes up early, goes for a run, showers, and then heads out to his favorite coffee shop. He manages to snag his favorite seat by the window and settles in for a long day of studying. He spreads out his books and his notes and his highlighters and gets to work. This is a normal routine for him and he becomes easily engrossed in it, which is why he’s stunned when he’s interrupted early in the afternoon.

“Hi, sorry, are these seats taken?”

Alec looks up and sees two women standing in front of him. They both have long dark hair and are dressed all in black. And, Alec notices immediately, every inch of skin he can see is covered in the tattoos he’s been seeing his entire life.

The two women are watching him expectantly – probably because they were waiting for an answer, Alec realized. “Sure,” he says. “Go ahead. Let me just move some of this stuff…”

“Thank you,” says the younger of the women. “I hope we’re not disturbing you, but everywhere else is full.”

“It’s fine, no problem,” Alec mutters, partially distracted because he’s still clearing a portion of the table. He stops dead, however, when the younger woman reaches out to help him and he notices the multiple tattoos on her wrist.

She notices him staring and looks over her shoulder to exchange a glance with the other woman. The second woman hesitates and then takes a deep breath before saying, “We have to confess something to you. We knew you would be here.”

Alec tenses. “What?”

“I don’t know exactly how to tell you this, so I’ll just come out and say it: we’re your family. Your biological family. I’m your mother, Maryse, and this is your younger sister, Isabelle.”

Alec just stares at them, stunned speechless. “You’re joking,” he finally manages to unstick his throat long enough to say.

“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. You were stolen from us as a baby 24 years ago,” Maryse says, pulling a photo out of her purse and handing it across to him. Alec picks it up and sees what is clearly an old picture, of a younger-looking Maryse and a man he doesn’t recognize, holding a baby in their arms. Alec is startled when he looks at the baby and recognizes not only himself, but the blanket he’s wrapped in. He doesn’t remember much from his early childhood, but one memory he does have is of when he was five years old and stole his file from the orphanage director’s office. He’d been anxious to find out if the couple who had visited yesterday were planning to adopt him and had thought he’d find that information in the file. He hadn’t (and the couple hadn’t adopted him), but what he had seen was a picture of himself when he’d been a baby and first arrived at the orphanage. He’d looked exactly like he did in this photo now – wrapped in exactly the same blanket.

He looks up and sees tears forming in Maryse’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Alexander. You were stolen from us when you were only 3 days old. Your father and I never gave up looking for you, I promise, but – it was like you had vanished off the face of the earth. We exhausted every possible possibility to find you, but it was no use.”

Alec swallows hard. His mind is spinning and he has no idea what thought to process first. “So what helped you find me now?”

“A family friend of ours was in Manhattan yesterday and saw you here,” Isabelle explains. “He thought you looked like you might be – well, the grown-up version of you – so he took a photo and gave it to us. We ran it through our database and found your file. Alexander Lightwood, 24. It fit. You were the right age, and you even had the same name you were born with.”

“I go by Alec, actually,” Alec says, and feels a twinge of guilt when he sees the pained expression flash across Maryse’s face. “I didn’t know that Lightwood was my real name, though. I thought maybe the orphanage just picked something out for me.”

“We’re still not sure what happened,” Maryse says. “Did the – orphanage – ever tell you anything?” She stumbles slightly over the word “orphanage”, and when she does, Alec sees Isabelle reach across the table and squeeze her hand.

“Just that two young men brought me in and said they couldn’t take care of me,” Alec says, shrugging. “I actually always assumed they were my parents and they realized after having me that they couldn’t hack it. I don’t know.” He coughs and looks away. This isn’t exactly his favorite topic.

“They didn’t tell you anything that could help us identify the two men?” Maryse asks eagerly.

Alec shakes his head. When Maryse’s face falls, he points to the tattoos on Isabelle’s wrist. “So what are these all about? I remember…I used to sometimes see people on the street who had these. I always wondered what they were about, but no one else seemed able to see them. In fact I spent my entire life able to see things that no one else could.” He can feel the anger and resentment from all these years starting to bubble up and swallows hard. “What’s going on? Who are you and what does all of this mean?”

“We’re Shadowhunters.” Isabelle says, holding out her arms so Alec has a better view of the markings covering them. “We’re part angel. These markings are called runes. They’re infused with angelic powers that help us to fight demons.”

“Demons?” Alec repeats, not sure he’s heard correctly.

“Demons,” Isabelle confirms. “It’s our sacred duty, basically.”

Alec looks back and forth between her and Maryse. Maryse pulls a silver stick out of her purse and shows it to him. “This is a stele. We use it to activate our runes and their powers. Strength, agility, speed…” She taps the tip of the stele against each rune as she names them.

“And you just…run around the city slaying demons? How does no one ever see you?”

“Because we’re glamoured. The entire Shadow World – that’s what our world is called – is invisible to Mundane eyes.”

“That’s what we call regular humans,” Isabelle clarifies when she notices Alec opening his mouth. “That’s why you could always see things from our world but the Mundanes in your life couldn’t.”

It’s like a million puzzle pieces finally fall into place for him, and that’s what officially convinces him Isabelle and Maryse are telling him the truth. He remembers his foster mother Roxanne telling him there were no pixies in the bushes and sending him to a therapist when he continued to insist there were. He recalls sneaking back into his bedroom late at night, careful not to wake his foster parents, and swearing he saw a large dog transform into a human man at the other end of the street. He thinks back on all the years he spent feeling like a freak because he saw things other people couldn’t, wondering what was wrong with him but never being able to come up with an answer.

He looks back up at Isabelle and Maryse and sees both of them watching him with tears in their eyes. “You must have felt so alone growing up,” Maryse says, her voice choked up. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Please believe me when I say I never gave up searching for you….”

Alec bites his lip, not sure how to answer. He believes Maryse, and he can’t really say he blames her; she clearly didn’t give him up voluntarily. But this is just all a lot to take in right now, and he has no idea how he’s supposed to react, especially when he’s being watched so closely.

“So where do you two live? Here in Manhattan?” he asks as a way of changing the subject.

“We live in Idris, the Shadowhunter homeland,” Isabelle replies when it becomes clear Maryse isn’t capable of doing so. “It’s – not exactly on the map.”

“How often do you come to New York?”

“Not very often,” Isabelle answers. “Shadowhunters normally stay in Idris. We’re not really supposed to mingle with Mundanes. We only visit the Mundane world when we’re notified of demon attacks, or need to talk with Downworlders. That’s the collective name for vampires and werewolves and other half-demon creatures.”

Feeling slightly overwhelmed again with this new information, Alec takes a moment to drink his coffee before replying. “So if I…if I wanted to visit with you, I’d need to come to Idris?”

Isabelle and Maryse suddenly look uncomfortable. “You need runes to enter Idris,” Isabelle says at last, “and at your age…well, it’s a bit complicated, because Shadowhunters normally receive their first runes at age ten. It’s like this big ceremony, rite of passage type thing. But at your age – well, it’s, it’s not so easy to just give you the runes.”

“It could be dangerous,” Maryse adds, finally finding her voice again.

“But there is another way to receive your runes,” Isabelle says quickly when she notices Alec opening his mouth again. “If you prove yourself worthy, you could obtain your runes that way.”

“Prove myself worthy?” Alec echoes. “What does that mean?”

“Shadowhunters are by nature very selfless,” Isabelle explains. “We devote our lives to fighting demons and protecting Mundanes. If you do that too…”

“But can I even do that without runes?” Alec asks dubiously.

“Of course you can. We can even give you the name of someone who can train you.” Maryse pulls a card out of her pocket and hands it to him. Alec takes it and reads: _Luke Garroway,_ followed by an address in Brooklyn.

“So what? I just go to this guy and ask him to train me to….fight demons?”

“We’ll go with you,” Isabelle offers. “Luke’s an old family friend.” Out of the corner of his eye, Alec thinks he see a faint blush appear on Maryse’s cheeks. He frowns but then glances back at Isabelle, who’s watching him hopefully.

“Okay,” he says. “Ok, let’s go visit Luke.”


	3. Chapter 3

Luke is a tall, extremely good-looking man about Maryse’s age. He sees Maryse first and greets her warmly, which makes her blush once again.

“Mom has a huge crush on him,” Isabelle mutters in Alec’s ear. “And he likes her too. But she won’t do anything about it because her and Dad’s divorce isn’t finalized yet.”

“They got divorced?” Alec whispers back. He doesn’t know how to feel about that, considering he doesn’t know the man.

Isabelle nods. “It was for the best. I mean, I love him and all, but…it was for the best.” She smiles brightly when Luke’s gaze falls on her. “Hey, Luke. Um, this is my brother, Alec.”

Luke’s eyes widen. “You found him?! When?”

“An hour ago,” Isabelle says sheepishly.

“Well, come in,” says Luke, stepping back from the doorway to give them room to pass.

He makes them coffee and listens as the three of them take turns telling him the whole story. When they finally finish, Luke sits back in his chair and exhales a huge sigh. “That is quite some story. But…if you want, Alec, I’d be happy to train you.”

“Yeah?” Alec pulls out his phone to check his calendar. As he flips through the different dates, it occurs to him how wild this all is – he’s checking his calendar to see when he’s free to be trained in demon fighting, because his mother and sister who he met for the first time today asked him to so he can go live with them in their country he’d never heard of before.

At the same time, his heart is beating fast because he’s finally on his way. He’s finally found his real family, and it turns out they didn’t abandon him at all. They loved him and would have kept them if they could. He wasn’t crazy seeing all those things growing up, either – he finally has an explanation for everything, and if he has to fight some demons so he can move to Idris with his new family, then so be it.

They make plans to meet the next day after Alec finishes with school. He doesn’t have to work tomorrow and he’s fairly caught up with his schoolwork so it’s a better time than any.

Shortly after that, Isabelle and Maryse receive a call that they’re needed back in Idris, so they reluctantly part ways. Isabelle and Maryse both hug Alec tightly; Isabelle sniffles when she pulls away from him and Maryse presses a kiss to his forehead. “I’m so proud to see what you’ve become,” she whispers.

He smiles. “Thank you.” He can’t quite bring himself to call her _mom,_ but he does feel a bit sad when she steps away from him.

Once they’re gone, Alec turns to find Luke watching him. “This has been quite a day for you,” Luke remarks, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You can say that again,” Alec laughs, sinking back down onto the couch. “But on the other hand, it’s…nice. Finally knowing for sure where I come from.” He looks back up at the other man. “You don’t live in Idris?”

“I’m not a Shadowhunter,” Luke replies.

“Oh,” Alec says. He hadn’t seen any tattoos – runes – but Luke is wearing a long-sleeved shirt, so he’d thought maybe they were just all hidden from view. “Wait, what does that mean? Is there a problem with living in Idris if you’re not a Shadowhunter?”

He thinks he sees Luke hesitate, but a moment later figures he must have imagined it. “It’s just easier for me to live here,” Luke explains. “I’m a werewolf, and Idris is more of an old-fashioned, business-focused place. Nearly everyone who lives there is involved in politics, and that just wasn’t for me.”

Alec has no idea what to comment on first: Luke being a werewolf or what he does instead of politics. “What do you do now?” he settles for. “Unless training Shadowhunter novices is your full-time job?”

Luke rolls his eyes at the teasing in Alec’s voice. “I’m a cop.”

“Ah. I’m a law student.”

That makes Luke laugh outright. “You’ll fit right perfectly in Idris.”

A warm feeling settles in Alec’s chest. “I hope so.”

Before Luke can answer, Alec is distracted by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. He pulls it out and finds a text from an unknown number.

_This is Isabelle. Keep in touch if you want._

Alec doesn’t hesitate before writing back: _I will._

A moment later he adds: _I know I’ve never met our dad but I say Maryse should go for it with Luke._

Luke’s training turns out to be brutal.

Alec always considered himself to be in fairly good shape, but working out before had always been more for fun and to stay healthy. Luke’s training is to help save his life when he fights supernaturally powerful demons.

At first they start out with three trainings a week, but once they realize how unprepared Alec is, they up it to five times a week. Luke even introduces Alec to some of his Downworlder friends so that Alec will have other people to fight with. Alec’s favorite out of the bunch is another werewolf named Maia who also happens to be the beta in Luke’s pack.

Training, combined with his classes and his job, keep him so busy that he has practically no time for anything else. He does start texting regularly with Isabelle, however, and she quickly becomes an irreplaceable person in his life. Despite how short of a time he’s known her, he also feels like he’s known her his entire life.

His contact with Maryse isn’t as frequent as it is with Isabelle, but he gets her number too and talks with her every now and then. She never mentions his father.

After a few weeks, Luke asks if Alec has any special physical interests or hobbies besides jogging. Alec mentions that he did a lot of archery when he was in high school and that he still practices sometimes in the university gym when he has some free time. Luke nods. “That’s good. That could be your signature weapon. All Shadowhunters need one.”

“A bow and arrow will work against demons?” Alec asks skeptically.

“Nearly anything will work against demons. You just have to be creative sometimes,” Luke says. “Bring the bow and arrows with you tomorrow and we’ll add that to our regimen.”

So they add archery to their daily practices. Alec is twice as exhausted every night when he collapses into bed, but he can’t be bothered by it because it means that he’s making progress in his goal to receive his runes and join Isabelle and Maryse in Idris. The idea of it fills a good 90% of his thoughts, but somehow he manages to juggle that with work and school without dying. It’s a good thing he isn’t in a relationship, he thinks with a laugh one day when he nearly falls asleep in the shower after practice with Luke. He barely has time for a shower anymore, no way could he maintain a relationship.

It’s been about a month when Luke finally suggests that Alec kill his first demon.

“Right. Kill a demon. I’ll just go outside and stab the first one I see with an arrow,” Alec says dryly.

“Alec, I’m serious. I really think you’re ready,” Luke says. “Besides, we can do all the training you want, but you’re never going to be a Shadowhunter unless you, you know, hunt.”

When Alec remains silent, Luke sits down next to him and says gently, “It’s perfectly normal to be scared. Actually, it’d be really weird if you weren’t.”

“It’s not really that,” says Alec. “I mean, sure, I’m terrified, but it’s just – this all feels so real all of a sudden, you know? Up until now it still felt kind of like a dream, in a way, but now it’s – this is my life.”

Luke nods. “I get that.”

They’re silent for a few more moments, until Alec sighs and gets to his feet. “All right, I guess there’s no point in putting this off any longer. Let’s go.” He grabs his bow and arrows and they head outside together.

“A big part of patrolling is just walking around and waiting,” Luke explains after they’ve been walking for twenty minutes and have seen nothing. “Don’t be surprised if we don’t see a demon for another –”

Alec only notices Luke tense because he was already watching him. Realizing that Luke must have heard something with his superior senses, Alec grabs his bow, selects an arrow, and whips around, but there’s nothing there. He glances over his shoulder at Luke. “What did –”

Looking away had been a mistake. A moment later, a large, slimy tentacle whips out of nowhere and knocks him off his feet.

Grunting, he stumbles back up, only to have to literally leap in the air to avoid being struck down again. He lifts his bow and launches an arrow at the beast. He can’t even begin to tell what it is. It appears to be, essentially, a gigantic octopus, but its suckers appear to have large, pointy spikes attached to them. Somehow he’d managed to avoid the spikes a moment ago, but he’s not sure how much longer he’ll remain so lucky.

The arrow finds its target and buries itself in one tentacle. The creature pauses and makes a screeching noise, but that seems to the extent its injury, for a moment later it moves forward again, its tentacles whipping around in a frenetic circle.

“Shoot it again!” Luke calls.

Alec doesn’t make the mistake of looking at him this time. He simply grits his teeth and shoots another arrow, which miraculously makes its target. This time the demon takes longer to start moving again, but Alec is prepared this time and lets loose a third, fourth, and fifth arrow, all of which strike through the demon’s tentacles. He fires off a sixth and now the creature is almost entirely immobile, six of its eight tentacles trapped by the arrows literally the arrows pinning it to the ground.

The demon isn’t willing to surrender easily, however, and raises one of its two remaining tentacles and swings it around in Alec’s direction. He lunges to the side, overbalances, slams his shoulder into the alley wall, and almost falls over from the force of the pain.

“Alec!”

Alec lurches upright and fires off another arrow, followed immediately by an eighth. The demon is fully trapped now. It wails – an awful, shrill sound that makes Alec instinctively want to cover his ears – and struggles mightily to pull itself free, but it’s no use. The arrows have it pinned effectively in place.

“Now!” Luke yells, and Alec doesn’t hesitate before letting one last arrow loose, this time aimed at the demon’s heart – or where he hopes the heart will be.

The demon begins to writhe. Its screeches only become more and more high-pitched, until Alec can bear it no longer and has to clap his hands over his ears. Then the demon literally explodes, spraying a black liquid everywhere – ichor, he realizes, Luke has told him about it – and from one moment to the next, it’s gone.

Alec stares at the spot where the demon used to be, unable to believe what just happened. He really did that – he killed a demon. His shoulder is incredibly sore from its collision with the wall and he can feel aches all over which will probably only feel worse tomorrow, but he’s alive, and if those are the worst of his injuries, he’ll fucking take it.

He’s breathing hard and swaying a little on his feet when Luke wraps an arm around his shoulders. “Alec, that was fucking terrific! You’re a goddamn natural.”

Alec breathes out a shaky laugh. “Maybe I am.”

“Let’s get you home, huh?” Luke suggests, and laughs himself when Alec can only manage a nod.

Luke accompanies Alec back into his apartment and stays long enough to supervise as Alec puts some ice on his shoulder and gulps down several glasses of water. He asks if Alec wants him to hang around, but Alec shakes his head. “To be honest, I think I’m just going to crash. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning?”

“Sure, man. Good night,” Luke says, clapping him on his good shoulder before leaving.

Alec allows himself five minutes in the shower and then climbs back out before he gives in to the temptation of falling asleep under the hot spray. He manages to stay awake long enough to pull on a pair of sweatpants and then he’s tumbling into bed and slipping into unconsciousness the second his head hits the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning at Luke’s, Luke tells him that he doesn’t think training is required anymore.

“You’re clearly able to take care of yourself,” he says. “And like I said last night, you’re obviously a natural. I think I’ve taught you everything I need to know. Of course I’ll still be here whenever you need help, but I think you’re well on your way to becoming an expert Shadowhunter all on your own.”

“I think so too,” Alec agrees, rotating his shoulder tentatively. It’s not nearly as sore as it was last night, just some twinges every now and then when he moves too fast. “So what should I do? Just go patrolling every night?”

“That’s the best method, yeah. But why don’t take you take tonight off, yeah? You don’t want to injure that shoulder even further before it has a chance to heal completely.”

“Are you sure?” Alec asks, frowning. “Isabelle and Maryse said I need to prove myself worthy. That doesn’t sound like I can afford to take nights off.”

“Alec,” Luke says, chuckling, “that’s ridiculous. You’re just going to wear yourself out if you think like that. You’ll have plenty of time to prove yourself ‘worthy’, believe me. Go out tonight and remember what it is you’re fighting for.”

“Okay, okay,” Alec relents. “I’ll go get myself a cup of coffee.”

“Wild,” Luke says, grinning. Alec flips him off as he goes.

When he steps outside, he realizes that he actually is in the mood for a cup of coffee. He pulls out his phone and after a few seconds of typing, determines that there’s a coffee shop only a few blocks over. He heads that way and is relieved when there’s only a short line at the register. He quickly consults the menu while he waits and decides on an iced coffee because even though it’s only 9:00 A.M., he can already tell it’s going to be a scorcher today.

Coffee in hand, he turns around, debating whether he wants to drink the coffee here or take it home. He scans the café and sees that it only appears about half-full, but still, he thinks he’d rather take the coffee outside and go for a walk. He turns around and bumps right into a man who was heading for the register.

“Oh my god,” Alec gasps as he watches his coffee splash all over the other man. “I am so sorry.”

The other man, even when there’s coffee all over his shirt, is without a doubt the most stunning man Alec has ever seen. He has black hair with several strands dyed pink and eyes lined with black kohl but dusted with pink eyeshadow that matches his hair. He’s wearing black jeans and a pink top made of light, see-through material which, thanks to the coffee, is now clinging to the bare skin of his chest underneath. Alec has to struggle not to start salivating.

“Well, _hello_ ,” the man says. “My name’s Magnus, and what’s yours?”

“Alec – look, are you ok? I didn’t hurt you?”

“It was iced coffee,” Magnus says, lips twitching, “but I’m fine, thank you. Alec, hmm? Is that short for Alexander?”

“Yeah, it is…listen, I still feel terrible. Can I maybe pay for your dry-cleaning bill? Just let me know how much it costs and I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“Why, Alexander, that might be the most inventive way of asking for my phone number that I’ve ever heard,” Magnus murmurs. Alec is fairly certain Magnus is just messing with him, but he panics anyway.

“I could – I could give you my number. If you want, I mean,” he blurts out, and then, seeing the smirk forming on Magnus’ face, rushes to clarify: “So you can text me about the dry-cleaning bill.”

“I’d love that,” Magnus says. They exchange numbers, and after they’ve put their phones back in their pockets, Magnus clears his throat. “Listen, Alexander, you don’t need to worry about paying my dry-cleaning bill. I can take care of that on my own. But I would love to have dinner with you, if you’re interested. And not as payback for the shirt,” he adds, flashing Alec a reassuring smile. “Only say yes if you’re interested, not because you feel obligated.”

“I’m interested,” Alec promises. “I, uh, I’d love that. When are you free?”

“Would saying ‘tonight’ make me seem overeager?” Magnus asks, still grinning.

“If I say ‘no’, does that make _me_ seem overeager?” Alec quips, and watches Magnus’ eyes light up with genuine delight.

“It seems like tonight is a go. Have you ever heard of the Hunter’s Moon? It’s a great bar just a few blocks from here. We could meet there at 7:00.”

“That sounds great,” Alec replies. His heart is beating incredibly fast with adrenaline. He can’t believe this is happening to him, that something as embarrassing as spilling coffee on a stranger has resulted in the most wonderful thing that’s happened to him in a long time – or, well, ever.

“I’m sorry to flirt and run,” Magnus says, “but I actually have to get going, I have an important meeting starting soon. But I’ll see you tonight?”

“Count on it.”

Magnus flashes Alec one more smile and then he’s out the door. Alec simply stands there for a few seconds, long after Magnus has vanished from view, unable to believe his luck. He doesn’t move until someone behind him clears his throat pointedly, gesturing at the door which he’s currently blocking.

“Sorry,” Alec mumbles, moving out of the way. He spends the rest of the day in a daze, leaving the coffee shop without remembering to buy another coffee and instead returning home to study, already counting down the minutes until 7 o’clock.

Alec spends nearly an hour that evening picking out his outfit. He sends a few selfies to Isabelle, begging for her advice, and she helps Alec choose something that she promises will make him look “irresistible” to Magnus. He trusts his sister’s judgment, so, dressed in the outfit she recommended, he heads to the Hunter’s Moon.

He’s a few minutes early, so Magnus isn’t there yet when he arrives. He takes a seat close to the door and, while he’s waiting, Maia approaches the table.

“Hey Maia,” he says in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I just started working here,” she answers. “I was actually going to invite you over here one of these days to come keep me company, but it looks like you beat me to it.”

“Yeah, well, I’m actually here on a date,” Alec tells her. “We’re meeting at 7:00, so he should be here any second.”

Maia’s eyes light up. “A date?! You, Alec Lightwood, on a date. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Hey, quit it. You’re making it seem like I’ve never been on a date.”

“Well, you haven’t been since I’ve known you,” she points out.

Alec opens his mouth to retort, but cuts himself off when he catches sight of Magnus appearing in the doorway. Alec snaps his mouth shut to prevent himself from doing something embarrassing, like outright whimpering, due to how good Magnus looks. He’s wearing black skinny jeans and a long, flowing, and very open purple top. The top is so open, in fact, that it reveals half his chest, and the many dangling necklaces draped across the mouthwatering expanse of skin. To top it off, Magnus is wearing purple streaks in his hair, purple nail polish, and dark purple eyeshadow.

“Holy shit,” Maia breathes. “Your date is Magnus Bane?”

Alec manages to unstick his throat enough to ask, “You know him?”

“Of course I do. He’s the one who got me this job.” She gives Alec a knowing smirk. “Oh man, are you in trouble.”

It doesn’t even occur to Alec to ask how Maia and Magnus are acquainted, because all he can do is think about how much he agrees with Maia’s statement as Magnus reaches the table. Magnus looks good, in fact, that Alec is seriously considering ditching the bar and taking Magnus straight back to his apartment, but he quickly dismisses the idea when Magnus takes the seat next to him. He wants this evening to last as long as possible.

“Maia,” Magnus says warmly, snatching Alec out of his thoughts. “How are you?”

“I’ve been great. And it seems like you’ve been too.”

“I certainly can’t argue with that.” Magnus gives Alec an appreciative once-over and Alec has to bite down on his lip, hard, to prevent himself from saying anything stupid and inappropriate.

Maia looks like she’s struggling to contain her laughter. “Well, now that I’m here, why don’t I start you guys off with some drinks?”

Magnus orders a rum & coke and Alec, who’s never been much of a drinker, orders the first thing on the menu that isn’t beer. Once Maia leaves to fetch their drinks, Magnus leans across the table.

“So, you’ll be happy to know that my shirt is now good as new.”

“Oh! That’s good. I was worried,” says Alec, because it’s true and it’s the first thing that comes to mind, and he seems to be unable of speaking intelligently when in Magnus’ presence.

“Were you now?” Magnus asks, and even though he’s smirking, Alec is also sure that Magnus is not making fun of him. He just seems genuinely delighted by Alec’s answer. Alec isn’t really sure how he knows that, how he can be so sure that he understands Magnus’ thought process despite the fact that they’re still practically strangers, but he just knows.

With that in mind, he says, “Yes, I was,” a little more firmly this time, and is rewarded with a much softer smile.

“You seem to be a very caring person, with a great compassion for shirts,” Magnus observes.

“Well. It was a nice shirt.”

“It was,” Magnus agrees, “but I was able to salvage it, and even if I hadn’t been, I have plenty of others.”

“The one you’re wearing now, it’s, um, it’s really great. I like how it…it swoops.” Alec makes a vague gesture meant to indicate the shirt’s deep neck.

Magnus looks positively thrilled. “Thank you, darling. I must admit, I took quite some time getting dressed for tonight.”

“Well, don’t get me wrong, I certainly appreciate the results, but…you don’t have to put in that much effort for me. I’m sure I’d like how you look no matter what you’re wearing.”

Now Magnus is practically glowing. Alec isn’t really sure why he looks so pleased, because it’s not like he’s doing anything but telling Magnus the truth.

They just stare at each other for a moment, not saying anything but with their gazes locked. Alec finds himself holding his breath, feeling like maybe something is about to happen, when Maia suddenly returns with their drinks.

“Here you go. I’d ask if you two knew what you wanted to eat, but I’m guessing you haven’t even glanced at the menus, huh?”

Alec shakes himself out of his daze and looks up at his friend. “I, uh…do you guys have bacon cheeseburgers?”

“We do,” Maia confirms. “That what you want?”

“Yes please.”

“Magnus?” Maia asks.

“I’ll have the same.” Magnus flashes Maia a brilliant smile that has her rolling her eyes and giving his shoulder an affectionate shove as she walks away from the table.

The rest of the evening seems like a dream. Alec and Magnus never run out of things to talk about. Every time they exhaust a topic, they instantly merge into a new one. Alec feels like he hasn’t have to do anything to impress Magnus, can just be himself, and Magnus never fails to seem pleased. They laugh at each other’s jokes, steal fries from each other’s plates, and when Alec takes the first sip of his drink and makes a face without thinking, Magnus nearly falls off his chair from laughing so hard.

They also learn quite a bit about each other – Magnus is 29 to Alec’s 24, a physicist to Alec’s law student, born in Indonesia but moved to Brooklyn when he was ten, compared to Alec having been born and raised in Manhattan. Alec does have to edit some parts of his story because of course, he can’t mention anything about the Shadow World to a Mundane, but even so, the conversation never falters.

Eventually they drift over to the pool table, where Alec easily wins two games in succession. He can’t help but preen a little bit afterward, his natural competitiveness announcing itself, but Magnus surprises him – the next game Magnus wins before Alec can actually process it happening.

“I…” Alec just stares at the pool table, momentarily speechless. “Did you just hustle me?” he asks when he recovers.

“Maybe,” says Magnus slyly, and then, when Alec just continues to gape at him, Magnus laughs and adds, “You know what they say, Alexander. If you can’t find the person being hustled in the pool hall, it’s probably you.”

Fuck, but Alec doesn’t think he’s ever been attracted to someone so much in his entire life. Especially since Magnus has called him “Alexander” most of the night and that seriously does something for him. Some of what he’s feeling must show on his face, because Magnus’ pupils dilate in response and his voice sounds much rougher than before when he suggests that they get out of here.

Alec nods eagerly in response and, after leaving Maia a generous tip, they leave the bar hand in hand. Alec, his voice shaking, asks Magnus where he lives and they head in that direction.

They walk fairly close to one another, but the distance between them still feels like a taught string, ready to snap at any moment. Alec keeps sneaking glances at Mangus out of the corner of his eye, and is delighted whenever he catches Magnus doing the same. This all seems too incredible to be real, Alec thinks as they approach Magnus’ apartment building. What are the chances that he would meet the most breathtakingly beautiful man he’s ever seen, and that that man would return Alec’s interest just as strongly? What are the chances that they’d get along so well, talking and laughing with each other like they’d known one another for years? What are the chances that both his heart and his body would react this intensely to someone he’d only known for a few hours, but instead of scaring him, it would all seem so right?

“This is me,” Magnus announces, gesturing to the building directly ahead of them.

“It’s – it’s nice,” Alec says, his voice coming out unsteady. It is a nice building, much nicer than he would expect for a college professor, but he doesn’t actually care much about the building at the moment.

Magnus glances at the building, then closes the remaining distance between them and oh-so-slowly trails a fingertip down Alec’s chest. Alec bites back a moan, feeling like Magnus’ touch is leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me in this outfit?” Magnus whispers. “Blue is such a good color on you, darling.”

Magnus’ fingertip reaches the waistband of Alec’s jeans. Magnus’ gaze flicks up to meet Alec’s and for a moment it seems like the entire world is holding its breath. And then both of them are moving forward, their mouths and bodies merging together like they’re made for one another. Alec can’t get enough, feels like he’s addicted to Magnus’ kisses and soft skin already. He feels drunk on the sound of Magnus’ cut-off moans and shaky gasps and the way he’s gripped a handful of Alec’s blue shirt he apparently loves in his fist.

When Magnus releases his grip on said shirt, Alec almost moans in disappointment, but that quickly changes into a moan of approval when Magnus slides his hand underneath the fabric and lightly caresses the bare skin of his lower stomach. He wrenches away and is proud of himself for managing to get out a coherent sentence: “We – uh, we should go inside, if uh –”

Well, maybe not entirely coherent.

Worse still, Magnus stills against him and then gives Alec a strained smile. “Actually…I think I should go in alone. Not that I wasn’t enjoying what we were doing, because believe me, I was, but…I really like you, Alexander, and I don’t want to rush into anything. Is that ok?”

“Of course it’s ok.” Of course Alec is disappointed, but he also understands what Magnus means about not wanting to rush into anything, and better yet, Magnus had said he really liked him. That meant they could go out again, and really, Alec wanted that more than anything else.

“Thank you,” says Magnus softly, smiling at Alec again, but this time it’s much sweeter and more genuine. “I’d kiss you goodbye, but – I don’t trust my own self-control.” He takes a deliberate step backwards, toward the front steps to the building. “I’ll call you.”

“Ok,” Alec says, smiling back.

“I had a really good time tonight,” Magnus continues. He takes another step backwards, but he’s still smiling at Alec, and Alec swallows hard, once again unable to believe how beautiful Magnus is and how lucky he is to have met him.

“Me too,” he manages to respond.

Magnus’ smile widens. “Good night, Alexander.” And then he’s turning around and walking up the stairs. When he’s unlocked the front door and opened it, he glances over his shoulder and catches Alec still standing there, staring at him. He laughs and says pointedly, “Good _night,_ Alexander!” And Alec, laughing himself, takes the hint and turns around to head for the nearest subway station.


	5. Chapter 5

Alec and Magnus don’t see each other for more than a week after that. They text each other constantly, and Alec finds himself sharing personal, private information that he’s never revealed to anyone before, which normally is something he would seriously consider before doing, but with Magnus – Alec trusts him. He doesn’t know why, he just does.

Still, their personal contact over the next week is nonexistent, because Magnus explains that he has a mountain of responsibilities at work right now and will be working overtime for awhile, so when he’s not texting Magnus, sitting in class, or at work, Alec spends most of his time out hunting.

He takes down several Ravener demons in Central Park with no difficulties, but while walking home from work on Friday night, he makes the mistake of pulling out his phone and starting to text Magnus, which naturally, causes him to become distracted and lose focus, and that’s when –

He feels his shoulder knock against someone else’s and he immediately halts in his tracks and spins around, an apology at the ready – only too realize, far too late, that he’d allowed himself to fall into the demon’s trap. The demon which is now quickly shedding its human disguise: long, sharp claws replacing its hands, spikes popping up along its spine, poisonous-looking drool dripping from its razor-sharp teeth.

Alec’s mind races. He knows the demon will be invisible to the Mundane passersby, but he himself isn’t, and he doesn’t want to freak anyone out if he tackles what looks like thin air in the middle of the sidewalk. More than that, he doesn’t want any innocents within range of the demon while he fights it. The least chance of colleratal damage will occur if he takes the fight somewhere else, so that’s what he does – he takes off running across the street, hoping the demon will follow him to the small field a few feet away.

Thankfully, the demon does follow him, but that’s where Alec’s good luck ends: as soon as the demon is within reach, it immediately swipes its talons in the direction of Alec’s spine, and it’s only thanks to a last-minute lunge to the ground on Alec’s part that he avoids getting his spinal column severed. After that, a good five minutes of Alec consistently dodging out of the demon’s reach follows, five minutes wherein Alec quickly becomes exhausted playing defense. It’s impossible for him to go on the offensive, impossible for him to do anything other than deflect the demon’s attacks – the demon is simply too fast for Alec to even reach for his bow, and the more Alec fights to save his life, the more quickly his energy drains. The demon knows exactly what it’s doing, and it’s doing it well.

Alec, realizing he doesn’t have many more options left, decides to throw caution to the winds and attempt something that, if it works, will most likely save his life; and if it doesn’t work, will make him feel very stupid before he dies. As the demon lunges at him again, Alec feints left, hoping desperately that the demon will go for it at the same time that he twists his body to dive to the right.

It does work, and Alec manages to sink his seraph blade directly into the demon’s chest. Unfortunately, at the exact moment that Alec goes to pull back, the demon thrashes in pain, and one of its six-inch talons punctures Alec’s left arm.

Alec collapses heavily against a nearby tree and cradles his arm as he watches the demon collapse in on itself before vanishing from this realm. The knife Alec had used to make the killing wound clatters to the ground, its tip stained with blood. Alec doesn’t even attempt to reach for it, recognizing then that the tree is the only thing holding him up at the moment. Blood is gushing steadily from his injuries and based on how his entire arm is beginning to grow numb, there had been poison in the demon’s talons.

With his good right arm, Alec fumbles in his pocket for his phone, can’t find it, then remembers he’d still been clutching it in his hand when he’d led the demon over here. Panicking, he quickly scans the ground before him and, thank god, finds the phone buried in the grass a few feet away. He angles his right foot in just the right way to knock into his phone and literally kick it toward himself. He dials a number from memory and, as he listens to it ring, suddenly realizes that he’s not panicking anymore. Instead, he feels oddly calm – almost serene, even. A warning voice in the back of his mind points out that he’s going into shock, but he ignores it.

“Alec?”

“Luke,” Alec rasps out.

“Alec!” Luke’s voice is sharper now. “Alec, what happened? Where are you?”

He can’t remember exactly. He shakes his head, but Luke must not be able to see that, because a second later his voice, much louder now than it was before, repeats, “Alec, where are you!”

“You remember that Italian restaurant we had dinner at last week? It’s kind of down the street from there…and then there’s this field…I’m leaning against this tree…” It’s getting difficult to speak now. In fact, it’s difficult to concentrate on anything, including holding onto his phone, so he allows it to fall to the ground again, and then he slumps forward until he’s curled up in the grass. Ah, that’s much better. Much comfier. He should be able to take a nap now. That’s what he really wants…

Very, very dimly, he’s aware of Luke’s voice shouting at him through the phone, but he simply can’t make himself care enough to do anything about it. It’s just all too much effort, when all he really wants to do is sleep…

Luke’s voice disappears, so Alec closes his eyes and allows himself to drift.

When Alec comes to, it only takes him a few seconds to recognize Luke’s apartment. He spends a few minutes simply laying still, his breathing even and calm as as he listens to the sound of Luke puttering about in the kitchen close by.

When he hears Luke’s footsteps approaching, he slowly sits up and gratefully accepts the glass of water that’s handed to him.

“How are you feeling?” Luke asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Fine,” Alec replies honestly. “A little sore, but not too bad.”

“Let me see your arm,” Luke says, gesturing for Alec to move closer. Alec holds his arm out for Luke’s inspection. There are two puncture marks clearly visible against his skin, and the flesh around them is slightly reddened, but it actually doesn’t look that bad. Alec knows it has to look a million times better now than how it must’ve appeared when Luke first found him.

“What was that thing? The demon who attacked me?” Alec asks, after Luke has given him detailed instructions on how to clean the wound and insisted Alec stop by once a day for the next week for “check-ups”.

“Eidolon demon,” says Luke grimly. “Shapeshifting assholes. That’s what makes them so dangerous, because they can change their appearance long enough to get you to drop your guard.”

“Well, they were certainly successful in that.” Alec scrubs a hand across his face, grimacing at how grimy he feels. “How long was I out, by the way?”

“About 15 hours.”

Alec winces. “Damn it. I have a make-up exam tomorrow that I really needed yesterday to study for.”

“Just tell your professor what happened, I’m sure they’ll understand,” says Luke, deadpan.

Alec rolls his eyes at him but doesn’t even bother to reply. He spies his phone on the nightstand, scoops it up, and is pleasantly surprised to see that it’s still at 40%. He’s even more pleased when he types in his passcode and finds a couple of texts from Magnus waiting for him. The first is a response to a comment Alec had made earlier. The most recent one reads:

**Magnus:** Hi darling, what do you say we meet for dinner tonight at 7:00? I know a good place.

Alec quickly types a reply: **Hey, that sounds great. Text me the address and I’ll meet you there.**

“You texting a study buddy?” Luke asks slyly.

“A date, actually.”

“I thought you had to study?” Luke’s fully grinning now, obviously having way too much fun with this.

“We’re not meeting until 7 P.M., and it’s only –“ Alec checks the time on his phone. “9:15 A.M. I can study all day before I meet him.”

Luke’s grin softens to a warm smile. “I’m happy for you, Alec. In the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you this excited about a guy. He must be pretty special.”

“He is,” Alec agrees, “even though we’ve only been on one date so far, but – I know he is. Special, I mean.” He pockets his phone and finishes his glass of water.

“Don’t forget what I told you about keeping that wound clean,” Luke reminds him, getting to his feet. “And I expect to see you here tomorrow for lunch.”

“Thanks, Luke.” Alec stands up as well and gives Luke a quick hug. Luke squeezes his shoulder and repeats his invitation for lunch tomorrow, which Alec accepts once again before Luke sends him off to go study.

The first thing Alec does when he returns to his apartment is take a long, hot shower, then fix himself a cup of coffee and a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast before he settles in to study. Before long, he’s lost himself in his books, only emerging when he happens to glance at his phone and realize it’s already after 6:00 P.M.

“Shit,” he hisses, hurrying to open his phone and check if Magnus has texted him an address yet.

Sure enough, Magnus had texted him over an hour ago. Alec looks the place up and estimates it will take him half an hour to get there, which means he’ll have to rush to get ready in time. He abandons his books and notes where they are and runs into his bedroom to get changed.

By some miracle, he finds himself outside the place Magnus had recommended at 6:57. He pushes open the doors and finds himself in a very cute-looking Vietnamese restaurant – and there, sitting at a table in the left corner, is Magnus.

“Alexander,” says Magnus warmly when he spots him. “How are you?” He stands and Alec automatically leans in to press a quick kiss to his mouth – except the second their lips meet, Alec loses all self-control, and the kiss quickly becomes much deeper and more passionate than is probably appropriate for a public setting. Alec has to forcibly wrench himself away once he realizes this, and when he does, both he and Magnus are breathing heavily. Alec ducks his head down while he gets his breathing back under control, embarrassed at his behavior and praying fervently that Magnus isn’t freaked out by it.

When he looks up again, Magnus is still staring at him with wide, shocked eyes, but when their gazes lock, Magnus immediately reassures him by smirking and practically purring, “Well, Alexander, that might just be the most amazing greeting I’ve ever received. No, wait, scratch that. It’s _definitely_ the most amazing greeting I’ve ever received.”

Alec still feels the need to apologize, or at least explain himself. “Sorry that I got so carried away,” he mumbles as they both take their seats. “I just…missed you this past week.”

“We’ve been texting nearly 24/7,” Magnus points out, still smirking.

“It’s not the same,” Alec replies without thinking, and then, the second he says it, looks up at Magnus in panic. “I – not that I don’t enjoy texting you. You’re a great texter. It’s just that, you know, being with you in person – it’s so much better.”

Now Magnus looks stunned again, like he genuinely can’t believe what he’s hearing. Alec sighs. “I’m doing this all wrong, aren’t I?”

Magnus is shaking his head practically before Alec’s finished the sentence. “No, darling, not at all. In fact, you’re doing everything right.”

“I’m not coming on too strong?” Alec checks.

“Not at all,” Magnus repeats. “You’re perfect.”

Alec can’t think of any way to respond to that except to duck his head again, this time to hide the blush staining his cheeks. Magnus seems to find this utterly adorable, and just like that, Alec’s nervousness disappears. He still can’t really believe it, that he feels so comfortable and at ease with someone he still barely knows, that literally everything about Magnus seems to draw him in and enchant him. Magnus is endlessly fascinating and unbelievably beautiful, and by some miracle, he seems to feel the same way about Alec.

After dinner they decide to go for a walk since it’s still light out. Magnus asks questions about Alec’s classes, seeming sincerely interested, wanting to know what made him decide to become a lawyer, if he already knows which firm he’d like to work at when he graduates, and so forth. In turn, Alec asks Magnus about his job as a physicist and professor at NYU. They talk for what seems like hours, even though in reality it’s only about fifteen minutes. At one point Magnus reaches out and slips his hand inside Alec’s, and Alec doesn’t hesitate to tangle their fingers together. When Magnus flashes him a happy smile in response, Alec feels like he’s floating on air.

Eventually they come to a stop outside the subway station Alec needs to use to get home. He hesitates at the top of the stairs, not wanting to push, knowing that Magnus had said he didn’t want to rush anything, but fuck, he doesn’t want the night to end yet.

“Come back to my place for a drink?” he suggests, hoping his nerves haven’t carried over to his voice.

“I’d love to,” Magnus says softly.

On the subway they’re quiet, not because they’ve run out of things to talk about, but simply because it’s comfortable that way. The silence doesn’t feel awkward and Alec doesn’t feel pressured to fill it. After a few minutes, Magnus rests his head on Alec’s shoulder and shuts his eyes, and Alec takes this opportunity to start tracing nonsensical patterns on Magnus’ hand (which is still tucked inside Alec’s). He doesn’t really know what he’s doing or why he’s doing it, he just loves any excuse to touch Magnus. When he sneaks a peek down at Magnus, he’s pleased to see Magnus is smiling, his eyes still shut but obviously enjoying what Alec is doing.

When they reach Alec’s building, however, things change. The air between them suddenly feels charged, more alive than it had before – similar to their greeting in the restaurant, but racked up by a good 500% percent. Alec takes a couple of deep breaths to calm himself as he leads Magnus into his apartment and gestures for him to sit down while he fixes the drinks.

After he returns with the drinks, things seem to calm down a bit, and conversation flows between them once more. Still, Alec can sense the lingering tension in the air, and he knows he’s not the only one who’s aware of it. He’s constantly aware of Magnus’ gaze on him, so heavy it almost feels like a physical weight on his skin. Still, Alec does nothing, waiting for Magnus to initiate things, because Magnus had said he didn’t want to rush into anything, and Alec’s not going to do anything that might go against that.

Thank god, Magnus initiates it. He leans forward and takes the glass out of Alec’s hands, placing it on the coffee table along with his own before moving into Alec’s space. He stops when he’s barely a couple of inches away from Alec’s body, close enough that Alec can feel Magnus’ breath on his skin, and then he just stares, intent clearly written on his face. Alec shudders, the anticipation on the verge of killing him.

And then Magnus is closing the remaining distance between them, and it’s like everything goes from 0 to 100 in no time at all. Magnus sucks Alec’s lower lip into his mouth and greedily swallows every stuttered moan that leaves Alec’s mouth. His hands knot in Alec’s hair and tug their bodies even closer together, and meanwhile, Alec’s hands are flying everywhere, desperate to touch every inch of Magnus he can reach. Magnus moves his mouth down to Alec’s neck and bites down on the sensitive skin there, and jesus, things are going to end embarrassingly fast for Alec if he can’t figure out how to calm himself down –

“Ow.” The hiss escapes Alec’s mouth before he can stop it.

“Alexander?” Magnus pulls back instantly, looking down with concern at his tight grip on Alec’s arm. “Am I hurting you?” As he speaks, he loosens his grip, then lets his hand fall back down to his side.

“I – it’s fine,” Alec mumbles, his cheeks heating up. “It’s just a, uh, minor injury.”

“May I?” Magnus asks, his fingers hovering above Alec’s sleeve.

Alec hesitates, but he can’t think of any reason to say no. It’s not like Magnus, a Mundane, is going to immediately recognize the puncture marks as a demon injury, and besides, why would he ever turn down an opportunity for Magnus to touch him? “Sure.”

Magnus gently pushes Alec’s sleeve up until the marks are revealed. Alec really doesn’t think it looks that bad, but Magnus sucks in a startled breath and looks up at him with wide eyes. “What happened?”

Alec can’t exactly tell him that it was an Eidolon demon, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind: “I cut myself. It was, uh, stupid. I was helping a friend of mine set up some furniture in his dorm room and there was this exposed nail, and, yeah…”

Magnus reaches out and very, very gently runs his fingertips over the marks. “You’re lucky it wasn’t worse than that,” he murmurs, his voice as soft as his touch.

Alec can barely breathe. Magnus’ touch is feather-light, but Alec can feel it spreading warmth through his entire body. He stares at Magnus, admiring his profile and really, everything about him, fully accepting how far gone he already is. When Magnus flicks his gaze up and meets Alec’s, the air between them suddenly feels charged again, almost suffocatingly so. Alec finds himself swaying forward, and Magnus does so too, and –

“It’s late,” Magnus says abruptly.

“What?” Alec’s response is delayed, his mind taking a couple of seconds to catch up.

“It’s late,” Magnus says again. “I should…I should get going.” He stands up from the sofa.

Alec glances down at his watch. It’s only 9:00, which he doesn’t consider to be late at all, but if Magnus wants to leave, Alec certainly isn’t going to stop him. “Can I call you a cab?”

“Oh – thank you, Alexander, but a cab all the way to Brooklyn would be a bit expensive. I’ll just take the subway.”

Alec nods and follows Magnus to the door. He opens his mouth to say goodnight, but what comes out instead is, “Or you could stay here.”

“You mean spend the night here?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you want. It’s just, it’s like you said, it’s late and – and then you wouldn’t have to take the subway back tonight. You could stay here and I’ll even make you breakfast tomorrow morning. I’ve been told I’m really good at French toast.”

When Magnus doesn’t respond right away, Alec adds hastily, “But only if you want. It’s just an offer, if you want it.”

Magnus smiles. “You’re awfully sweet, Alexander.”

Alec, relieved, once again says the first thing that comes to mind. “Or just selfish because I don’t want you to leave just yet.”

Magnus grins. “Am I really such good company?” he asks jokingly, but Alec, unable to be anything but earnest when discussing how he feels, replies honestly, “The best.”

Magnus’ smile fades, but he doesn’t look upset, just surprised. He stares silently at Alec for a few seconds before abruptly turning away from him and back towards the couch. “So, is this where I’ll be sleeping?”

“No, of course not. You’re my guest, you can have my bed and I’ll sleep here.”

Magnus flashes him a look. “Darling, there’s no way you can comfortably sleep on this couch. You’re a tree.”

Magnus has a point, but Alec refuses to concede to it. “But you’re my guest,” he repeats. “I can’t make you take the couch.”

“And as your guest, I can’t take your bed,” Magnus replies.

They stare at each other for a moment before Magnus says, “We’ll share your bed.”

“Ok,” says Alec weakly. Sleeping in the same bed as Magnus for an entire night sounds like both heaven and torture. He legitimately can’t think of anything better than being that close to Magnus for an extended period of time, but on the other hand, Magnus has said he wants to take things slow, and he’s been giving very clear signals that he means it, and Alec would never do anything to go against that, which means he’s probably going to spend most of the night awake, hyperaware of Magnus next to him.

He gives Magnus his spare toothbrush and an extra pair of sweatpants to sleep in, after which Magnus disappears into the bathroom for a few minutes, while Alec sits on the bed and skims through his notes for the exam tomorrow.

The sound of a door opening has him looking up, just in time to see Magnus emerge from the bathroom, his face bare of makeup, wearing Alec’s sweatpants but no shirt. Magnus, for some reason, seems a little bit shy – his eyes keep flitting away from Alec’s, as if he’s avoiding direct eye contact, and one hand reaches up to fiddle with his ear cuff, something Alec recognizes as a nervous gesture.

Alec, meanwhile, is awestruck. Magnus looks like walking art when he’s wearing makeup and his stylish clothes, but like this – face bare, baggy sweatpants – he looks like the absolute picture of perfection. Alec has to swallow three times before he can get words out of his mouth.

“That’s – uh – that’s a good look on you,” he manages to rasp out.

Magnus looks slightly incredulous. “In sweats?”

“Yeah,” Alec breathes, knowing he should probably be embarrassed at how head over heels he sounds, but not being able to make himself care right now.

Magnus bites his lip, looking shy again. “Thank you.”

Alec moves back the covers on the other side of the bed and Magnus crawls in beside him. He flips onto his side so he’s looking at Alec and smiles at him, unbearably sweet. “Thank you for letting me stay here, Alexander.”

“Of course. Um, sleep well.”

“You too.”

Alec turns off the lamp on his bedside table and lays down. For a few seconds he lays completely rigid, having no idea what to do, especially since it’s only shortly after 9:00 and he’s not really that tired. But then he feels Magnus reach out in the dark and trace his fingertips across the puncture marks again. “How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?”

“It’s ok right now,” Alec whispers. He rolls onto his side so he’s facing Magnus. He can’t really see him in the dark, but knowing he’s there is an incredible feeling. “Good night, Magnus.”

“Good night, Alexander.”


	6. Chapter 6

When Alec wakes the next morning, Magnus is still sound asleep beside him. Alec spends a few seconds staring at him, marveling at how beautiful he is, before forcing himself to get up from the bed.

He heads to the kitchen, where he immediately starts a pot of coffee before beginning the French toast. He hums a little while he works, unable to help it – he’s just in that good of a mood. It’s only 8:00, which means he has several hours left before his exam starts, and despite losing out on a day of studying, he feels sufficiently prepared for it. Best of all, Magnus slept in his bed last night. _Magnus slept in his bed last night._ Alec can feel the huge grin on his face and he knows he probably looks like a goof right now, but he doesn’t care. Because Magnus slept in his bed last night.

“You were serious about the French toast?”

Alec spins around and sees Magnus standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His hair is adorably messy from being slept on and the borrowed sweatpants are sitting low on his hips. Alec swallows hard.

“Of course I was. Only the best for the guest.” He grimaces once he hears the words out loud. “That wasn’t supposed to rhyme.”

“I’m fine with rhyming,” Magnus answers, laughing a little. “Can I help you at all? I feel bad watching you do all the work.”

“Um. You could set the table.” Alec waves the spatula at the cabinet to his right. “Plates are in there.”

Magnus sets the table, and by the time he’s finished, so is the French toast. Alec carries everything over to the table and they sit down together.

“Did you sleep well?” Alec asks.

“Very much so. Your bed is incredibly comfortable.”

Alec nearly drops the bottle of syrup he’d just picked up. Magnus complimenting his bed has put all sorts of thoughts in his head, none of which he deems appropriate to say out loud. Magnus seems to sense his internal panic because he smiles and reaches across the table to place his hand on top of Alec’s.

“Thank you again for letting me stay here last night. It was very sweet of you.”

“Don’t mention it. Besides – it means we get to have breakfast together.”

“And speaking of, this is delicious, Alexander. I had no idea you were such an excellent cook.”

“Uh, I’m not, not really. I just have a few specialties. Like French toast.”

This leads to a conversation about food and cooking in general, and then specific anecdotes about disastrous cooking experiences. Magnus tells a hilarious story about a cooking class he’d taken when he was younger and Alec reveals that he grew up in foster care and had never lived in any one home long enough to learn how to cook from any of his foster parents.

“If you want, you can come over to my place sometime and I’ll teach you how to make some pretty basic but tasty meals,” Magnus offers as they’re scraping their plates clean. “Maybe even some Indonesian recipes.”

“I would love that,” Alec replies softly, and they both fall silent and simply smile at each other. Alec is struck by how comfortable this feels, how at ease he is, how relaxed the atmosphere between them is. Maybe he should feel frightened by how quickly he’s gotten used to this, this feeling of utter contentment whenever Magnus is around, but he can’t make himself do so. Not when Magnus is swaying forward and Alec meets him halfway to cup Magnus’ face in his hands and kiss him softly and sweetly, unhurried, like they have all the time in the world. Not when Magnus slides his fingers into Alec’s hair and tugs gently, and Alec deepens the kiss in response and –

This time Alec is the one to pull away first. He’s a bit out of breath and so is Magnus, which isn’t really beneficial for Alec’s attempt to stay focused on what he’s about to say.

“As much as I would love to keep doing that…I have an exam in less than four hours that I should probably do some studying for.”

“An exam on a Saturday?” Magnus questions, moving back slightly and making Alec immediately want to reach for him and pull him back in.

“Make-up exam,” Alec explains. “I was supposed to take it on Wednesday, but I came down with a stomach bug that day and couldn’t make it.” 

In reality, Alec had been on his way to the university to take said exam when he’d discovered a group of Dahak demons in an alleyway and had had no other choice but to kill them before he moved on. By the time he’d finished, the exam was already halfway over, so he’d gone back home and called his professor with an excuse at the ready, and luckily she’d agreed to let him reschedule for today.

“Well. First of all, I’m glad you’re feeling better, and second, good luck on your exam. Should I help you with the dishes before I go?”

Alec is all set to say that that’s not necessary because Magnus is his guest, but then he realizes this gives him the perfect opportunity to spend more time with Magnus before he really does have to buckle down and study. “Sure. Thank you,” he adds with a smile, which Magnus returns.

Magnus washes and Alec dries because, as Magnus points out when Alec protests that he should do more of the work, it’s easier that way, since Alec obviously already knows where everything goes. As he moves around the kitchen, opening drawers and cabinet doors, he can sense Magnus’ gaze on him, following him wherever he goes. Magnus doesn’t hide it either, so every time Alec peeks over his shoulder, there Magnus is, staring at him unabashedly. Once when Alec catches him, Magnus even _winks._ Dear lord.

Much too soon, the dishes are finished and there’s no longer an excuse for Magnus to stay. Alec walks him to the door, where Magnus tells him once again what a wonderful time he had, to which Alec replies that the pleasure was all his.

“Is it ok if I give you a ‘good luck’ slash goodbye kiss?” Magnus asks then.

Who would Alec be to say no? “Yes please.”

Magnus steps close, reaching up to tangle his fingers in the hair at the nape of Alec’s neck before he presses a soft kiss to Alec’s lips. It’s closed-mouthed and chaste, but Alec still slides his eyes shut to appreciate the sensation. When he opens his eyes again, Magnus is staring at him with a small, affectionate smile on his face.

“Good luck on your exam, Alexander. Can I see you again tomorrow?”

“Of course. I’m free all day tomorrow.”

“Great. Then let’s say Central Park at eleven? The South entrance.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Magnus presses one more kiss to Alec’s mouth and then he’s gone. Alec leans against the door once it’s shut and just stares at up the ceiling for a few seconds, praying for the strength to get through his exam without wasting the entire time daydreaming about meeting with Magnus tomorrow.

Well, he amends a moment later, he’ll be lucky if he can answer more than one question at a time without getting distracted by the idea of cuddling up on a picnic blanket in Central Park with Magnus and kissing him lazily for hours on end. He’s only human, after all (part human, but the expression still stands) and this is Magnus Bane he’s talking about.

The next few weeks pass in a daze. Alec is constantly busy juggling work and law school, and finding time to fight demons in between is immensely difficult, to say the least. It’s as if the demons of New York have realized that Alec is in a new relationship and want him to have as little free time as possible.

Still, the little amount of time he does get to spend with Magnus is amazing. The date in Central Park had been incredible (just like in his fantasies, they had cuddled on a picnic blanket and kissed for hours), but somehow, things have gotten even better since then. A few days after the Central Park date, Magnus had shown up at Columbia and surprised Alec with lunch and flowers. Alec had been floored, not being able to remember the last time (if ever) anyone had ever done something like this for him.

He’d been unable to recover from his shock the entire date, staring at Magnus with obvious heart eyes and not bothering to feel embarrassed. Luckily, Magnus spent most of the date staring at him just as affectionately, and even after their lunch was done, neither of them were ready to say goodbye to each other yet. They’d walked around hand in hand for hours afterward, stopping every few feet to kiss, although the kissing was made difficult by how widely they were both smiling.

After that Alec shows up at NYU to surprise Magnus. Magnus had told him that his final class on Fridays ended at 5:30 P.M., so Alec makes sure to show up outside Magnus’ classroom a few minutes before then. The door to the classroom has been left open, giving Alec the opportunity to watch Magnus teach.

He’s stunning to watch. The dark gray slacks and deep pink blouse he’s wearing manage to look work appropriate and tantalizingly sexy at the same time. Even from this distance, Alec can tell that Magnus is wearing pink eyeshadow and pink nail polish to match his blouse, a fact which makes it difficult not to drool where he’s standing. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see several students staring at Magnus in a way that makes it clear they are also feeling the effects of Magnus’ appeal.

“Ok,” Magnus says, stopping his pacing in the center of the room, which is a shame, because Alec had really been appreciating the view of Magnus’ ass whenever he’d paced the length of the classroom floor. “I think that’s enough for today. Make sure to review chapters 11 – 13 for the discussion group on Monday. But also try to squeeze some fun into your weekends that doesn’t involve your textbooks.” Magnus winks at the class and everyone either laughs or stares at him adoringly. Alec can’t blame them one bit.

Then Magnus spins on his heel and catches sight of Alec leaning against the wall opposite the classroom door. An array of expressions flashes across his face: first confusion, then delight, and then an obvious effort to stifle said delight since he’s still in a classroom full of students.

Magnus holds up a single finger, clearly asking Alec to wait a moment, so Alec nods at him to show he understands. Magnus smiles at him before spinning back around and walking over to his desk to gather up some papers. Nearly every single student stops to say goodbye to him before they left, which, again, Alec can’t blame them for, but now it’s starting to make him a bit antsy because it’s delaying how long it took Magnus to join him.

Finally, after what had probably only been sixty seconds but had felt more like an eternity, the last few students file out of the classroom, some of them casting Alec curious glances as they passed, but most of them too engaged in their conversations with one another to spare him any attention. Meanwhile, all of Alec’s attention is on Magnus, whose delighted smile is back as he slips out of the classroom and shuts the door behind him.

“Alexander,” Magnus murmurs. “This is such a lovely surprise. I expected you’d be at work for a couple more hours at least.”

“I’m working less hours right now because I’ve got my final exams coming up soon,” Alec explains, reaching out to settle his hands on Magnus’ waist.

“If you’ve got exams coming up soon, shouldn’t you be at home studying?” Magnus asks, arching an eyebrow.

“If I’m studying I can’t spend time with you. Which is infinitely more preferable.”

“Alexander,” Magnus laughs, “as a professor, I feel like I shouldn’t be encouraging that kind of thinking.”

“But as my boyfriend, your actual opinion is…?”

“That that’s a stupid question. Of course I’d rather you spend time with me.” Magnus reaches out to play with one of the buttons on Alec’s shirt, which is unbuttoned just enough to expose some of his chest hair. “God, I love it when you wear your shirts like this. I’m already mourning winter when you’ll have to wear shirts that cover you all up.”

Alec feels his smile widen at what Magnus is implying – that they’ll still be together in the winter. They’ve only been dating for about a month, and winter is still ages away, but Magnus has just admitted that he sees that future for them.

Magnus seems to realize what he’s said at the same time, because his gaze snaps up to meet Alec’s and he swallows before speaking. “I just meant –”

Alec tucks one finger underneath Magnus’ chin and tips his face upward for a kiss, swallowing the rest of his words. Magnus instantly melts against him and kisses back eagerly, one hand pressing flat against Alec’s chest, right over his heartbeat, and the other curling around the back of his neck so he can tangle his fingers in Alec’s hair. Magnus seems to love Alec’s hair, is always playing with the strands at the nape of his neck when they kiss, and Alec absolutely loves it, he –

Magnus abruptly breaks away, taking a small step back when Alec tries to chase after his mouth. “Darling,” he says, quite breathlessly, “as much as I loved that, I would suggest that we go somewhere more private before we let this continue.”

“Actually, my plan was that I pick you up here and take you out to a nice place for dinner. But we can definitely go somewhere more private after dinner.”

Magnus shakes his head. “You definitely know how to capture my interest, Alexander.”

Alec grins again, pleased to hear that. He slips a hand inside of Magnus’ and begins leading him down the hallway. “Only the best for you, babe.”

Dinner is incredible. Alec takes Magnus to an Indonesian restaurant and the look on Magnus’ face when he realizes is priceless.

“You mentioned awhile ago that you haven’t been able to find good Indonesian food since your favorite restaurant shut down. I did some research and this place got the best reviews, so.”

“I mentioned that in passing over three weeks ago,” says Magnus, his eyes widening slightly. “How did you remember that?”

“Because you told me,” Alec says, a little confused. Of course he remembers. Magnus told him and he was listening.

“Do you remember every single thing I ever told you?” Magnus asks teasingly.

“Yes,” Alec replies seriously. “I checked and they serve both siomay and bebek goreng.”

“Those are my –”

“Childhood favorites, I know,” Alec finishes for him. “I just hope they live up to your expectations.”

“This is very sweet of you, Alexander. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

Magnus’ smile was radiant. “I really want to kiss you right now, darling. Why are you sitting on the opposite side of the table?”

“That’s normally how it works,” Alec says, lips twitching. “But I could move over there, if you want.”

“I do want.”

So Alec moves over to sit on the same side of the table as Magnus. As soon as he’s seated, Magnus leans in and presses a soft, sweet kiss to Alec’s lips. “Thank you, darling.”

Alec can’t really concentrate with Magnus this close, so he settles for simply smiling at him.

“Maybe we should look at the menu,” Magnus suggests after they’ve lost themselves in staring at each other (and kissing a little, Alec has a weakness and his name is Magnus) for a few minutes.

“Right.” Alec opens his. “Are you still going for the siomay and bebek goreng? Sorry if I’m butchering the pronunciation.”

“Don’t worry, it’s perfect, just like you,” Magnus reassures him, along with another kiss. “And yes I am. And I’d recommend you do the same.”

“Then I will.”

The siomay is a steamed fish [dumpling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpling) with vegetables served in [peanut sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_sauce). It’s served as an appetizer, and the bebek goreng is the main course: a seasoned fried duck, served with a spicy chili paste called [sambal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambal). When the food is delivered to their table, Alec waits for Magnus to take a bite first and observe his reaction.

To his supreme delight, Magnus’ eyes immediately slide shut the second the food in his mouth and he makes an appreciative humming noise that both makes Alec happy he could do this for Magnus and also turns him on a little bit. When Magnus’ eyes flutter open again, he immediately grabs Alec’s hand and entwines their fingers together. “Alexander, thank you. This is amazing. For a second, it was like I was home again.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Alec murmurs, ducking his head to press a kiss to Magnus’ knuckles. “Do you want to tell me about growing up there?”

Magnus does. He tells Alec stories about his childhood, about the things he loved and disliked about his home country, and how different the U.S. felt to him when he first moved.

“Do you ever miss it? Wish you could go back?” Alec asks as they finish the last bites of food.

“I do miss it,” Magnus says thoughtfully, “and I’d love to go back and visit sometimes soon. But to be honest, New York is my home now and has been for nearly 20 years. And, you know…New York has some things that Indonesia doesn’t.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Alec glances away from Magnus for just a second to grab the dessert menu and then turns back to him, expecting Magnus to say something about his friends or his job, or even something about the city itself, but instead he sees Magnus rolling his eyes, an affectionate smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Like _you_ , Alexander.”

“Oh,” Alec breathes, unable to think of anything more eloquent.

Magnus shakes his head, still smiling. “‘Oh’. As if I hadn’t made my feelings quite clear by this point.”

“Um.” Alec is feeling a little overwhelmed by the force of Magnus’ gaze. He wants to kiss him so badly, but the way he wants to kiss him is not appropriate for a public setting, so instead he opens the dessert menu and points to the first item he sees. “What about this one?”

Magnus leans in to read and Alec takes the opportunity to press a kiss to Magnus’ temple.

“Bakpia pathok,” Magnus reads. “Yes, that’s very delicious. Want to share?”

“Please.”

The dessert is several small, baked pastries filled with a sweet bean paste. With the two of them sharing, they’re gone way too soon, but Alec doesn’t mind too much, because this gives them the excuse to leave the restaurant now and get away from the public eye. Alec insists on paying, which makes Magnus mock scowl at him and then demand he be allowed to leave the tip.

Outside the restaurant, Magnus suggests they walk around for a bit before catching the subway. They’ve come outside at the perfect time, dusk, which means the sky is stained a gorgeous mix of deep pinks and golds. Magnus pulls out his phone to take pictures, first of the sunset, and then of him and Alec together in various poses. Alec’s favorite is the one where he and Magnus both turned to each other at the same time, intending to sneak a kiss, so the camera captured them smiling at one another, their faces aglow with happiness and affection. “Send those to me, please,” Alec requests. He’s definitely going to make that last photo the wallpaper on his phone.

As they walk, they tell each other about their days – Magnus about one of his students whose grandmother conveniently passed away for the third time, and right before an exam, too, and Alec about a case he’s currently assisting with at work involving a family six kids, two biological parents, and two stepparents who all have different opinions on who should have custody of which kids. 

“Oh, darling, stop for just a moment,” Magnus says suddenly. Alec comes to a halt and watches Magnus take a step closer to him, raising one hand like he’s going to maybe brush something off Alec’s face – did he have food stuck to the corner of his mouth from dinner? – but instead, Magnus uses that hand to cup Alec’s cheek and draw him in for a lingering kiss.

“That was all,” says Magnus oh-so-casually when he pulls away, like he didn’t just make fireworks go off in Alec’s brain. Alec stares at Magnus in a daze, listens to Magnus laugh and say cheerfully, “What’s the matter?” when he just stands rooted to the sidewalk, staring dreamily over at him.

Finally they continue walking, making it to the subway station just in time to catch the train they need. For the next several minutes, all through the subway ride and the walk back to Alec’s apartment, Alec remains silent, happily listening to Magnus chatter about this and that, while he pays attention with one half of his brain while simultaneously thinking about every moment he’s shared with Magnus over the past month.

It really does seem too good to be true, almost like a miracle, that he’d met Magnus by literally spilling coffee on him, that Magnus had been, somehow, charmed instead of repulsed and had asked him out, that they’d instantly clicked on that first date and somehow, in the space of a mere month, have grown so close that Alec feels like he knows everything about Magnus. Well, maybe not literally everything, but he feels like he knows all the important things, and everything he doesn’t know, he doesn’t worry about, because he’ll learn it all in time, and besides, there isn’t a single thing he could learn about Magnus that would make Alec stop loving him.

Love. He loves Magnus.

Alec nearly stumbles to a halt as the realization hits him, but somehow finds the wherewithal to keep walking. _Love,_ he thinks giddily. He’s in love with Magnus. Is it too soon? Maybe. It’s only been a month, but he doesn’t care. He knows what he feels, and he knows that it feels right.

It doesn’t only feel right, it feels downright exhilarating. His whole life, he’d felt like there was something missing, something incomplete about him, and he’d always thought it had to do with not having a proper family. When Maryse and Isabelle had found him in that coffeeshop and told him the truth about Shadowhunters and the home he could have in Idris, he’d felt like his prayers had been answered – finally, a home, a sense of belonging, was being offered to him. He’d worked so hard these past few months to earn that home, but now…now it was possible that there was already a home for him here. With Magnus.

That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t still interested in joining his family in Idris, because he was, very much so, but…for the first time in his life, he was realizing that maybe the home he’d been yearning for all these years had never been a place, but rather a person. A small part of him feels guilty, like he’s betraying not only Isabelle and Maryse but also his younger self, but mostly he’s so high on his newly discovered feelings for Magnus that he can’t think of anything else.

A person who’s now coming to a halt and turning to him with a slight frown. “Is everything all right, Alexander? You’ve seemed a bit distracted ever since we left the restaurant.”

Alec has to smile at that, because while he and Magnus never run out of things to talk about, they’ve also always been comfortable with companionable silences, neither of them ever feeling pressured to fill the quiet when they could simply enjoy each other’s presence and be satisfied. So the fact that Magnus has been able to discern the difference between a companionable silence and a distracted type of quiet only goes to show just how well Magnus knows him. 

Instead of answering, Alec looks up at his building, which they’ve just arrived at, and gestures vaguely toward the front door. “Do you want to come up for a drink?”

“I’d love nothing more,” Magnus replies.

Once they’re in his apartment and Alec has poured them drinks, it’s like something changes. Alec himself is keyed up, almost bursting with the need to tell Magnus he loves him, and Magnus obviously senses Alec’s excitement. The air between them feels charged, and Alec doesn’t think he’s imagining how often Magnus’ gaze seems to drop to his mouth. Wanting to test it, Alec deliberately licks his lips, and watches in satisfaction as Magnus’ grip tightens around his glass.

“Stay the night?” Alec asks quietly, nearly whispering, as he steps closer, closer, until he’s right in Magnus’ space, close enough that he can feel Magnus’ breath shudder out of him when he responds.

“Yes.”

Alec takes Magnus’ glass from him and sets it down on the counter next to his own. Magnus is watching him with laser focus. Alec studies Magnus for a moment, taking in every glorious inch of him, before he reaches out to rest his hands on Magnus’ hips.

He pulls Magnus closer to him, still watching him carefully, cataloguing every reaction, before he dips his head to press a gentle kiss to Magnus’ mouth.

Magnus seems to have been expecting something rougher, because there’s an obvious element of surprise in his posture, before he slides his hand oh-so-slowly up the back of Alec’s neck to tangle his fingers in the hair at Alec’s nape. Alec sighs happily into the next kiss, and the next, and the one after that, and it doesn’t take long enough after that for the kisses to transform into something faster and more desperate. It has been building between them for the past month, after all, and even though Alec’s priority over these last weeks has always been to respect Magnus’ wishes not to take things too quickly, he can’t deny that he’s been dying for this since he’d seen Magnus walking toward him in the Hunter’s Moon.

Magnus, too, seems just as desperate, which is why it’s a surprise when he abruptly pulls back and blurts out, “I have to tell you something.”

“All right,” Alec murmurs, tracing the outline of Magnus’ bottom lip with his thumb. “So do I.”

What Alec’s doing with his thumb seems to be distracting Magnus; he goes slightly cross-eyed trying to look down and watch. “I, uh…you go first.”

Alec lowers his thumb and leans in to suck on Magnus’ lower lip instead. When he pulls back, moving as slowly as physically possible, Magnus is staring at him with wide-blown eyes.

“I love you,” says Alec softly. “I know it’s soon and it’s ok if you’re not there yet, but I just wanted you to know. I love you.”

Whatever Magnus had been expecting Alec to say, it clearly hadn’t been that. His eyes grow even wider and he simply stares at Alec in complete silence for several seconds, during which Alec tells himself not to be nervous, it’s ok if Magnus isn’t there yet –

“I love you too,” Magnus breathes.

“Yeah?” Alec asks, feeling a grin spreading across his face.

“Yes. So much. I love you so much, Alexander.”

Alec is about to respond to that, but before he gets the chance, Magnus is kissing him. One hand tugs at his hair and the other slides down to his belt and rests there for a moment, as if asking for permission.

In response, Alec moves his hand to rest on top of Magnus’ and together they slide off his belt, ignoring it when it falls to the floor with a soft clang and immediately getting started on Alec’s shirt buttons. In some distant corner of his mind, Alec remembers that Magnus had wanted to tell him something, thinks maybe of reminding him, but then Magnus is sliding Alec’s shirt off his shoulders and Alec understandably becomes distracted.


	7. Chapter 7

When Alec wakes the next morning, the first thing he sees is Magnus curled up asleep next to him. He looks beautiful, face relaxed and bare of makeup, and Alec wants nothing more than to wake up every morning to the same sight.

After a few minutes of staring dreamily at Magnus, Alec forces himself to get up. He finds a discarded T-shirt and pair of sweatpants on the floor to pull on and then he heads into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, he’s returning to the bedroom with a loaded tray. Magnus is still asleep, but when Alec sits down on the edge of the bed, he stirs.

“You made us breakfast?” he asks, smiling as he takes in the tray loaded with chocolate-chip pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. “Darling, you’d best be careful. You don’t want to start spoiling me, or else I might get used to it.”

“And what would be wrong with that?” Alec counters. “Maybe I love the idea of spoiling you.”

“If you really want to spoil me, you’d remove your shirt,” Magnus says slyly.

“Is that really such a good idea?” Alec laughs. “You’d just get distracted, and then the food would go cold.”

“Mmm, I’d call that a bit arrogant on your part, but…having had the pleasure of seeing you shirtless, I can confirm that yes, I would definitely get distracted.”

“Tell you what. We eat breakfast first, and then we’ll see about the shirtless thing.”

“Deal.”

After breakfast, followed by the promised shirtlessness, Magnus unfortunately has to go. “I have to spend the entire day grading papers,” he explains between kisses at the front door. “I promised myself I’d get it out of the way today so that I’d be able to have Sunday free.”

“If you’re free on Sunday, how about I come over,” Alec suggests.

“Excellent idea. We haven’t had sex in my apartment yet.”

“Magnus,” Alec sighs, “if you keep talking like that, I’m never going to let you leave here.”

“Fine, I’m leaving,” Magnus says, sighing heavily.

“Just to be clear, I don’t _want_ you to.”

“I don’t want to either, darling, but we both know what’s going to happen if I stay here.”

Alec has to kiss him again for that, and that’s how another ten minutes pass, until Magnus manages to wrench himself free and open the door. “I have to leave now or I’ll never do it. Goodbye, Alexander. I’ll text you about tomorrow.”

“Bye, babe. I love you.”

Magnus groans and steps through the open door to press another kiss to Alec’s lips. “You are not making this easy for me, darling. I love you too. Now good _bye._ ” He fixes Alec with a stern look as he makes for the door again, as if daring Alec to try and stop him. Alec laughs, in love with Magnus’ antics and, of course, with Magnus himself, and stands in the doorway watching Magnus walk away until he’s well out of sight.

Sighing, he shuts the door and returns to his bedroom, intending to take a shower and then get in a few hours of studying before he goes on patrol tonight. He’s sort of hoping he can find some demons to fight, because he _really_ needs something to distract him from how much he’s already missing Magnus in the thirty seconds they’ve been separated.

God, he’s in so deep, and he’s enjoying every second of it. Falling in love with Magnus was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

**Magnus (9:00 A.M.):** _Good morning darling, are you awake yet?_

 **Alexander (9:01 A.M.):** _Yes I am. Do you want me to come over now or later?_

 **Magnus (9:02 A.M.):** _Oh, now please. I’ve missed you so much._

 **Alexander (9:02 A.M.):** _It’s been less than 24 hours, babe._

 **Magnus (9:03 A.M.):** _Are you implying you haven’t missed me?_

 **Alexander (9:03 A.M.):** _Of course I have. I already have one foot out the door._

 **Magnus (9:04 A.M.):** ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

When Alec arrives at Magnus’ apartment building, he’s once again struck by how fancy it seems for someone in his boyfriend’s career field. He’s even further surprised to see that the button for Magnus’ apartment belongs to the penthouse suite. He knows that Magnus is a pretty big deal in the physics world, but he wasn’t aware it made enough money for a penthouse. Although he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised – Magnus’ clothes are always gorgeous and stylish and clearly cost quite a bit.

When he steps out of the elevator, he’s once again startled when he notices that Magnus’ front door is ajar. Maybe Magnus had left it open for him to walk in on his own? He steps inside and looks around, but he doesn’t see Magnus anywhere.

“Magnus?” he calls out. No response. He walks through a few rooms, but Magnus is nowhere to be found.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket, half-expecting to find a text from Magnus telling him he’d run downstairs and would be right back, but there’s nothing. He frowns and looks around again. Something just seems off. He’s about to make his way back to the foyer and check if Magnus is there now, when he suddenly hears something from the room up ahead.

It sounds like the scuffling of shoes against a wooden floor. Assuming it’s Magnus, Alec moves forward and steps into the room.

Magnus is in the room – and strangely, he’s kneeling in the middle of it, with his arms behind his back. “Magnus?” Alec asks, moving toward him. “What are you doing?”

“Alexander,” Magnus says breathlessly, “what are you doing here?”

Alec’s frown deepens. “Because you told me to come over?”

“I didn’t. Alexander, you have to get out of here.”

“Are you… _tied_ _up?”_ Alec takes a step forward, concerned, but before he can reach him, Magnus is crying out, “Watch out –!” and then something hits him over the back of the head with such force that he collapses instantly.

When he comes to, he notices almost immediately that his arms are bound behind his back, just like Magnus’. Magnus is still kneeling next to him, and the second Alec’s gaze lands on him, his entire body sags with relief.

“Alexander, thank god. You were unconscious for almost 15 minutes.”

“Are you ok?” Alec asks, wincing as he gets to his knees.

“I’m fine, but –”

“What’s going on? Who else is here?”

Magnus opens his mouth to respond, but someone else beats him to it, in the form of a man Alec has never seen before. He’s rather unremarkable looking, the type of person you’d pass on the street and not spare a second glance, but Alec is still positive he doesn’t know him. He walks into the room, spots Alec, and says with evident relief in his voice, “Oh good, you’re awake. Now we can finally get started.”

“Get started with _what?”_ Alec demands, glaring daggers at the other man. He has no idea who this guy is, but he’s positive the man is the one who tied up him and Magnus, and as soon as he gets out of his restraints, he’s going to beat the ever-living shit out of this guy for hurting Magnus.

The other man chooses not to respond, opting instead to kneel on the ground and begin drawing something with a black marker he pulls from his pocket. Alec watches him, his unease growing by the second as what is clearly a pentagram begins taking shape. He glances over at Magnus and sees his boyfriend staring at the pentagram with wide, terrified eyes. Does Magnus know what’s happening? Being assaulted and tied up in your own home is horrific enough, but the way Magnus is staring at the pentagram, it’s almost as if he knows what it is –

The other man finishes the pentagram and gets to his feet. Then he begins chanting, and Alec already knows that there’s no way he’s going to get these restraints off by the time the summoning is finished. He’s been tugging at the zip ties binding his wrists together for the past five minutes with no luck, and –

One second the pentagram is empty and the next it’s not. There’s suddenly a man standing inside it, or rather a demon masquerading as a human man – tall, with shoulder-length dark hair and a cane in one hand. Power radiates off him. Alec doesn’t know exactly who the man is, but there’s no doubt in his mind that he must be very ancient and very, very dangerous.

The demon’s gaze immediately zeroes in on Magnus. A smile forms on his mouth – on any other face, Alec would’ve called it happy, welcoming – but on him, it looks nothing short of terrifying. “Magnus,” the demon says, his voice practically a purr.

“Asmodeus,” Magnus says coolly, and wait, how does Magnus know who –

“Asmodeus?” Alec repeats. “As in, the prince of Edom?” He doesn’t know the names of every single Greater Demon, but he’s read up enough on Shadowhunter history to recognize that name.

“The one and only,” Asmodeus says, bowing.

“And what exactly are you doing here?” A voice in the back of his mind warns Alec that maybe he shouldn’t be speaking so sharply with a Greater Demon, but he’s too pissed to listen to the voice at the moment.

“I’m here to offer you a deal,” Asmodeus says, twirling his cane between his hands and looking down at it as he does so, as if the cane is infinitely more fascinating than this conversation is.

“A deal,” Alec echoes, not bothering to tone down the skepticism in his voice. “What kind of deal?”

“It’s nothing much,” Asmodeus says smoothly, still focusing his attention on the cane instead of Alec. “I just require your…assistance to be able to roam the earth freely.”

“What do you need me for?” Alec asks suspiciously. “You’re a Greater Demon. You’re powerful enough to do practically anything – you can come to Earth any time you want.” Although now that he mentions it, it is incredibly odd that Asmodeus needed this man to summon him with a pentagram. If he wanted to show up and threaten Alec and Magnus, he should have been able to do that on his own, without needing assistance from anyone else.

“Unfortunately, that last part isn’t true,” says Asmodeus, finally looking up from his cane, as if Alec had only become worthy of his gaze at this moment. “I’m incapable of ‘coming to Earth’, as you put it, because a long time ago, my son placed a curse on me and banished me to Edom permanently.”

“Your son…” Alec’s voice trails off as he notices Asmodeus’ gaze shift to Magnus – and Magnus is trembling, staring at Asmodeus with pure, unmistakable hatred. “Magnus is your son?”

“Yes…a fact that he hates. He thought he’d gotten rid of me when he banished me from this plane, but, despite his efforts, I just recently discovered an ancient spell that will reverse his curse. And all I need to complete it is your willing assistance.”

Alec can barely breathe. It feels like his mind is spinning uncontrollably, trying to make sense of everything he’s just learned. Magnus is Asmodeus’ _son._ Magnus’ father is a _Greater Demon,_ which means Magnus – he’s a warlock, a Downworlder. He’s not a mundane, like he’d led Alec to believe this whole time.

Or…had he been lying? Alec has no runes, nothing to easily identify him as a Shadowhunter. Maybe Magnus honestly didn’t know, had only been omitting the truth about his identity for the same reason Alec had – he’d thought Alec to be a Mundane and therefore forbidden from learning the truth.

Before Alec can start to make sense of that, Asmodeus interrupts. “The spell is quite simple. It only requires you to willingly give your permission for me to return to Earth.”

“And what,” Alec asks through gritted teeth, “makes me think I would help you?” He’s still not exactly sure of what’s going on, but considering that Magnus is still staring at Asmodeus like he’s scum, he’s decided to settle on being angry at the Greater Demon on his boyfriend’s behalf. It seems easiest.

“I thought you might react this way,” Asmodeus says, “which is why I will make it very simple for you. Help me with this spell, or I’ll murder Magnus right in front of you.”

He speaks so calmly, as if he hasn’t just announced he’s willing to murder his son with said son right in front of him. Alec isn’t sure why he’s so surprised – Asmodeus is a Greater Demon, after all – but when he sees Magnus flinch out of the corner of his eye, his stomach turns over.

“Don’t look so surprised,” the demon continues. “Magnus may be my favorite son, but I’ve fathered hundreds of children over the millennia, if not more. He’s expendable and is no major loss to me. But to you? My intel tells me that Magnus’ loss would be unspeakably devastating to you. Therefore, why I’m using him as leverage. So what do you say? How much is Magnus’ life worth to you?”

Well, he really has no choice, does he? Oh sure, he has a choice. He could turn Asmodeus down, say that as a Shadowhunter, he can’t willingly allow a Greater Demon access to innocent lives, especially when he was trapped before. But on the other hand, he has no doubt that Asmodeus would murder Magnus in cold blood within mere seconds after Alec’s refusal. And that – that’s a possibility Alec’s heart can’t, _won’t_ , accept. His mind shudders away from the very idea.

He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth. And then Magnus, who has been silent this entire time, suddenly blurts out, “Alexander, don’t do it, he’s –”

All Asmodeus does is wave his hand, and Magnus falls abruptly silent. It’s like his mouth has been glued shut. Magnus struggles so hard against the spell that he overbalances and falls over. Alec moves toward him automatically in concern, but with another wave of Asmodeus’ hand, Alec feels his body jerked back into place.

“Your answer?” Asmodeus asks, fixing Alec with a piercing gaze. Alec swallows hard. He’s terrified, but he knows what choice he’s going to make.

He returns the demon’s gaze and answers unflinchingly, “I willingly give you permission to roam the Earth.”

Asmodeus smirks. It’s one of the most terrifying sights Alec has ever seen. “Thank you… _Alexander._ Unfortunately, as with most ancient spells, this won’t activate until midnight in the place where it was cast, so until then, I bid you farewell.” He turns toward his accomplice, who has been completely silent this entire time. The other man shifts his weight and moves toward Asmodeus, but suddenly, the demon spins back toward Alec as if something has just occurred to him. Alec is positive it’s merely for dramatic effect, but his eyes are glued to Asmodeus regardless.

“One more thing,” the demon purrs. “I must commend my son for his compelling performance. I wasn’t actually sure he could do it, but he apparently possesses some talents I wasn’t even aware of.”

“What are you talking about?” Alec snaps, his patience about to snap. He’s just made a deal with the devil – literally – and he’s not in the mood to deal with anything else.

“I’m talking about how Magnus has been working for me this entire time,” Asmodeus says, his smirk widening. “It was no accident that he bumped into you at that coffee shop. Just like it was no coincidence that the two of you began dating and fell in love. That was all orchestrated per my instructions. My people had been watching you for months and were well aware that my son was just your type. I instructed Magnus to meet you and seduce you. With hardly any effort on his part, he made you fall head over heels in love with him, which is exactly what I needed in order to make this spell succeed. Magnus made all of this today possible.” He turns his smirk on Magnus. “Good work, son.”

Asmodeus inclines his head toward his companion, who begins chanting the spell that will send him back to Edom. As soon as he’s gone, the other man tosses a pair of pliers to the ground and books it out of there. The front door slams shut behind him and a heavy silence descends upon the room. Alec can’t process anything at the moment. His brain feels so overwhelmed with everything that’s happened in the past fifteen minutes that he can’t even begin to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Magnus’ presence next to him is so loud that it’s like being shouted at. Rather than looking at him, Alec chooses to spend the next several minutes concentrating on picking up the pliers even though both hands are still tied behind his back. After much maneuvering, he finally manages to uncuff himself and then moves to do the same for Magnus.

Magnus, meanwhile, won’t stop staring at him. He stares at Alec while he uncuffs him and then when Alec sets the pliers back down.

“Alexander,” Magnus says, his voice trembling as hard as his body is.

Alec looks up at him and sees tears pooling in Magnus’ eyes. His heart breaks, but he still doesn’t know how to feel. Magnus who lied to him about being a warlock and about having been working for his father behind Alec’s back throughout their entire relationship. Has anything been real? Did Magnus lie to him about everything? Magnus’ lies led to Alec giving a Greater Demon permission to come to Earth and do god knows what.

“We should…we should move somewhere more comfortable,” Alec says, avoiding Magnus’ gaze again. The two of them are still kneeling on the wooden floor, which is the last place Alec wants to have this conversation.

“Ok,” Magnus whispers, his voice still shaking. He sniffles, clearly struggling to hold back his tears, but follows Alec as he guides them over to a nearby sofa.

“Tell me everything,” Alec says once they’re seated. Magnus has his body angled away from Alec’s and seems to be putting quite a bit of effort into making sure his body isn’t touching Alec’s in any way. It’s almost as if he thinks he doesn’t deserve to touch Alec now. Alec’s heart breaks again at that, but he still needs to hear what Magnus has to say.

Magnus squeezes his eyes shut and a few tears escape. He doesn’t wipe them away, neither does he open his eyes, as he begins to speak.

“Asmodeus is my father. I was born in Indonesia about four hundred years ago and for the first few years of my life, I was very happy with my mother. But then she realized what I was. A demon. And she killed herself.”

Alec makes an aborted motion toward Magnus, wanting to touch him comfortingly, but pulls back at the last second.

“I suddenly had no home. I was living on the streets when Asmodeus found me. He took me under his wing. He took care of me. I was – I was a child, and I didn’t understand, at first, what he was and what kind of evil, horrible acts he was committing. All I knew was that he was my father.

“He began forcing me to do terrible things. Assisting him with his crimes. Eventually I realized the seriousness of what was happening, but I was still too young to do anything about it. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I knew I was powerful enough to banish him to Edom. I fled after that and moved around the world, never staying in any place too long, terrified of my father’s followers finding me and making me pay. It took me decades to relax. I came to New York about fifty years ago, and that’s when I met her.”

“Her?” Alec echoes.

Magnus opens his eyes. “Her,” he repeats. “Camille. She was incredible. I’d never met anyone like her. Stunningly beautiful, smart as a whip, courageous and self-confident. I was enchanted. We’d been dating for about six months when she was diagnosed with cancer and given only weeks to live.”

“Magnus,” Alec says softly, his heart aching, but Magnus shakes his head and continues speaking.

“I was desperate. I tried using my magic to save her, but it didn’t work. That’s when I realized there was only one solution. I went to my father. I offered him whatever he wanted if he’d save Camille’s life. I thought he’d ask me to reverse my banishment spell, but instead he did something worse. Much, much worse.” Magnus took a deep breath before revealing the next part. “He made me sacrifice my magic and my immortality in exchange for Camille’s health.”

“He did _what?”_ Alec practically yells.

Magnus shakes his head. “I didn’t even hesitate. Anything was worth it to me, as long as Camille was healthy and alive. We made the exchange and I returned to Camille to find her in perfect health. And cheating on me.”

Alec gapes at him, unable to believe how this story manages to keep getting worse by the second, but Magnus isn’t even done.

“Unfortunately, the deal was done. Asmodeus owned my soul now. He’s been using me for the past fifty years to perform tasks for him. Nothing too horrific – mostly just gathering intel. I’ve done my best to help him as little as possible, but it’s not always that simple. And then…” Magnus’ eyes flick up to Alec’s. “He approached me a little over a month ago and told me he wanted me to gather some intel on you. I wasn’t stupid. I knew why he wanted that information. But I thought – oh, god, Alexander, I was so naïve. I thought I could just – I thought I could just go on one date with you, learn some basic information that would seem helpful but was actually useless, and that would be it. But I underestimated you. I saw you waiting for me in the Hunter’s Moon and I was lost.”

“You were?” Alec whispers, his body angling toward Magnus’ again.

“I was,” Magnus whispers back. “I tried to distance myself from you. I tried to keep things casual. But I couldn’t help myself. Every second with you was like a dream. About five minutes into our first date I was already half in love with you, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

Alec’s mind is going into overdrive trying to piece everything together. So much is making sense now. Why Magnus had insisted on taking things slow. Why it had taken them a month before they slept together for the first time. Why Magnus had sometimes pulled away or made excuses when things had gotten too intimate between them. Not that Alec had begrudged Magnus any of those things, but it all makes much more sense now in this new context: that Magnus hadn’t wanted to get too close to Alec in order to protect him. Now that he thinks about it, he can even remember Magnus saying that he wanted to tell Alec something last night – he’d wanted to come clean and tell Alec the truth before they slept together for the first time, but Alec hadn’t given him the chance.

“I was so naïve,” Magnus says again. “I fed my father information and he seemed to drink it all up. I thought I had finally outsmarted him but it turns out he was playing me the entire time. He knew we were getting serious and he used that to his advantage to trick you into doing this spell.” He shakes his head miserably. “I should’ve realized it sooner. This is why he made me sell my soul to him all those years ago, instead of asking me to reverse the banishment. He wanted to torture me by forcing me into his service again. Then he waited for me to get cocky, just like he knew I would, and struck at exactly the right moment.

“I’m so sorry, Alexander,” Magnus’ voice breaks on a sob. “This is all my fault. At midnight my father is going to be free to unleash hell on earth – literally – and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. I can understand if you hate me and never want to see me again.”

Alec hesitates for a moment, trying to decide the best way to react, before he reaches for Magnus’ hand, which is clenched into a fist at his side, and picks it up. He raises Magnus’ fist to his lips and presses the gentlest kiss he can manage to Magnus’ knuckles.

Magnus releases a strangled breath. “Alexander?”

“I love you,” Alec tells him.

“But…Alexander…”

“I love you,” Alec repeats.

“Even after everything? I lied to you –”

“Because you were manipulated.”

“I put your life in danger – ”

“You were forced into that.”

“But I –”

“Do you love me?” Alec interrupts.

“Yes,” Magnus responds without hesitation. “More than anything on this earth.”

“And I love you. That’s all that matters.” Alec presses another kiss to Magnus’ knuckles.

“Alexander….” Magnus’ eyes are full of tears again. One breaks free, but Alec’s thumb is there to catch it before it can fall.

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” Magnus asks, his voice still quivering.

“Because I love you, and you love me. And that’s all that matters to me.”

Magnus releases a shuddering sigh and then lunges forward to bury his face in Alec’s neck. Alec wraps his arms around Magnus’ body and strokes over his hair while Magnus gets his breathing under control.

When Magnus seems to have calmed down considerably, Alec feels like can pose another question. “Magnus? If Asmodeus took your immortality away fifty years ago, how are you…I mean…why don’t you…”

Magnus lifts his head from Alec’s neck to smile wryly at him. “You mean why do I still look youthful?” He shakes his head. “I’m assuming Asmodeus put some kind of…stasis spell on me to slow down or prevent my aging. Just as a way of keeping me around as an unwilling accomplice for that much longer, I suppose.”

Alec scowls, wanting to find Asmodeus right now and beat the living hell out of him for putting Magnus through so much pain. A second later his attention is shifted back to Magnus, however, when Magnus reaches out and unbuttons the top button on Alec’s shirt.

“Magnus?”

“Alexander, at midnight my father is going to literally unleash hell on earth. I have no idea what’s going to happen then. I have no idea what’s going to happen to us. So until then, all I want to do is be with you.”

“Do you – are you sure that’s a good idea right now? I mean, you just went through something really traumatic, and…” Alec loses his train of thought when Magnus unbuttons his shirt enough to expose some of his chest hair. Magnus had made it very clear last night how much he loved Alec’s chest hair, so Alec has no doubt where this is going.

“Alexander, it’s you. I’m always sure when it comes to you.” Magnus undoes another button and then looks up at Alec from underneath his eyelashes. That does it. He places his palm flat against Magnus’ chest and feels his heartbeat. It’s steady and calm.

“You’re sure?” he double checks one more time.

“I’m positive,” Magnus replies, and pulls Alec down on top of him.


	8. Chapter 8

They don’t leave the apartment all day. They make love on every single surface in Magnus’ apartment before finally stumbling into Magnus’ bed and staying there for hours. Alec can’t get enough of Magnus. He clings to him for dear life and tells him over and over again how much he loves him. Magnus says it back every time, until they finally collapse together, exhausted.

“What are we going to do about my father?” Magnus asks in a hushed voice.

Alec sighs. “The only thing we can do. Try to fight him.”

“He commands a demon army,” Magnus points out.

“We’ll contact my family and ask them to help out. I’m sure they can send a group of Shadowhunters out here.”

“And I’ll put a word out with the warlock community to get reinforcements,” Magnus says.

“Hey.” Alec rolls onto his side and pulls Magnus closer to him. “Everything’s to be ok. We’ll get through this. Together.”

Magnus’ smile is a little shaky, but it still seems genuine. “I know. I love you, Alexander.”

“I love you too.” Alec tips Magnus’ face up for a kiss and Magnus melts into it.

It’s shortly before midnight when Alec and Magnus look out at the group they’ve assembled. Maryse and Isabelle are standing with Luke, and on Izzy’s other side stands a girl with fiery red hair who, despite her short stature, looks determined enough to fight anyone who steps into her path. Isabelle introduces her as Clary, and even though she says nothing else, it’s clear from her affectionate tone that Clary is important to her in a special way. That, and the way she strokes her fingers through Clary’s long hair when she thinks Alec isn’t watching. Alec’s heart aches in the best way watching them, knowing that this is what they’re fighting to protect.

Maia is there as well, with another werewolf named Bat at her side to represent their pack. Raphael and Simon represent the vampires, Meliorn the Seelies. Several dozen warlocks had also answered Magnus’ summons. Scattered here and there throughout the Downworlders are other Shadowhunters who Alec’s mother and sister have brought with them. Altogether their numbers reach about one hundred. Alec has no idea if that’s good or bad – the group looks impressive standing before him, but will it be enough to defeat Asmodeus’ demon army? Alec has no answer for that, but he doesn’t dwell on it. This will have to be enough. Losing the battle is not an option.

“Please promise me you’ll be careful,” Magnus murmurs as he steps up beside him and slips his hand inside Alec’s.

“Me? What about you?” Alec counters.

“I can take care of myself,” Magnus insists.

“I don’t doubt that. I still consider your safety my responsibility.”

Magnus rolls his eyes but there’s a pleased little smile on his face when he turns and presses a kiss to Alec’s temple. Alec hugs Magnus to his side for a moment before reluctantly releasing him so he can address the group.

“Listen up. In half an hour Asmodeus is going to set foot on earth for the first time in over three centuries. He’s going to bring an army of demons with him – how massive it will be, we have no way of knowing. The odds are uncertain. But we can’t let that deter us. We’re strong when we’re together. As long as we keep that in mind, we can defeat him, I’m sure of it.”

No cheers meet his speech, but he wasn’t expecting that. The group is scared, that much is clear, but he can still see that they’re determined, and that’s the best he can hope for right now.

They have no idea where Asmodeus will begin his attack. The spell does not require Asmodeus to return to the place of its initiation, so as soon as midnight strikes, he can appear anywhere on earth. There’s not even a guarantee that he’ll return to New York, which is why Alec asked Isabelle and Maryse to contact other Institutes around the world and put the word out to be on the alert.

Alec, Magnus, and the others had spent hours poring over maps of the city, deciding where to position their people to make sure as many places as possible were protected. Alec reminds them of these plans now and then sends them out to take up position. As they watch Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike march out of Magnus’ apartment, Magnus sighs and buries his face in Alec’s shoulder.

“I’ve never missed my magic as much as I do now,” Magnus mumbles. “If I was still in possession of it, I’d feel much more confident about tonight.”

“You’ll have it back by the end of the night,” Alec promises him. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Alexander…” Magnus begins, but Alec shakes his head and turns Magnus around so he can press a kiss to his forehead.

“I _will_ get it back for you. That’s a promise. Now look at me.”

Magnus raises his gaze to Alec’s.

“We’re going to make it through this. You and me, we’re going to kick Asmodeus’ ass, together, and then we’re going to get your magic back and put everything back to the way it should be.”

Magnus sighs and shakes his head. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Alec kisses Magnus’ forehead one more time and then releases him. “Come on. Let’s go defeat your father.” He offers Magnus his hand and Magnus sighs deeply in resignation before flashing Alec a weak but genuine smile and taking his hand.

Asmodeus is nothing if not punctual. The hands on Alec’s watch have barely moved to 12:00 when all hell breaks loose, in the truest sense of the word. One moment the night is relatively calm, and then suddenly the sky erupts with demons. Alec barely has time to pull out his bow and arrows before the onslaught begins.

He and Magnus are separated almost immediately, Alec becoming distracted by a slew of demons and losing sight of him. There seems to be no end to the demons – as soon as Alec defeats one, another five seem to appear in its place. Even with constant help from Izzy, Maryse, Clary, Luke, and Maia, the fight seems to be mercilessly never-ending.

After what feels like hours, it occurs to Alec that hasn’t seen Magnus in quite some time, so he ducks past a couple of demons lunging toward him and darts a quick look around. He doesn’t catch sight of Magnus right away, but after he’s successfully slewed a demon so bizarre-looking he can’t even begin to identify it, he finally gets a glimpse of Magnus out of the corner of his eye.

Magnus is stalking toward a figure Alec quickly recognizes as Asmodeus. Everything about Magnus’ posture suggests barely contained fury, and Alec starts to run forward, horrified at the idea of Magnus trying to do something to his father despite having no magic.

“Magnus!” Alec yells when he’s within earshot. He isn’t sure what he’s hoping to achieve, isn’t sure if he’s even capable of talking Magnus out of this when he’s clearly so full of rage, but he has to try, because Magnus is powerless at the moment, so to speak, and if he tries to attack his father –

By some miracle, Magnus not only hears him, but actually listens. He stops and turns toward Alec, only for his expression to quickly transform into something horrified. Startled, Alec comes to an abrupt stop, but Magnus does the opposite; he lunges forward and shoves Alec to the ground, hard. Stunned, the breath knocked out of him, Alec wheezes for breath and looks up just in time to see a nightmare come to life.

Standing just behind Alec is the most massive demon he’s has ever seen. He can’t even begin to process how tall it must be or how many tons it must weigh. Its behemoth body is covered in rotting scales and its hands appear to be more talon than anything. And one of those talons has pierced Magnus directly in the stomach.

Before Alec can even begin to comprehend what he’s seeing, the demon releases Magnus and he thuds to the ground, motionless.

Alec can’t breathe. He can’t even move. It’s like a fog has encased his brain, making it impossible for him to think, to process anything. All he can do is stare at Magnus’ body, at the blood gushing out of his wound and the ragged sound of his breathing which means he’s still alive but for how long?

There’s a strangled hitch in Magnus’ breathing and that’s what gets Alec lurching to his feet and lifting his bow. He’s moving on autopilot, muscle memory telling him what to do because his brain is still offline. He lets one arrow fly and doesn’t even wait for it to hit the mark before he’s lining up another, and another. Arrow after arrow pierces the demon’s flesh and Alec’s hand has never been steadier, nor has his aim ever been truer. Distantly he watches the demon collapse to the ground but he’s not done, he hasn’t made it suffer enough, he has to keep going until the demon feels twice as much pain as it inflicted on Magnus, he has to –

“ALEC! Alec, stop, it’s dead! You can stop!”

Alec only listens to the unfamiliar voice because he’s run out of arrows anyway. He lowers his arm and spins around, ready to defend Magnus from whoever’s intruding, but freezes when he sees who they are.

He doesn’t recognize the two women, but what they’re doing is clear: they’re both kneeling on the ground next to Magnus, their hands hovering above him and pouring magic into his body. They’re warlocks. The adrenaline from the fight is rapidly draining from Alec’s bones and he doesn’t think he’s imagining the wave of exhaustion that courses through him as he sinks to his knees next to Magnus.

“Is he going to be ok?” he asks, his voice sounding dead to his ears.

The woman on the left bites her lip and answers him without looking away from Magnus. “I hope so. Dot and I are using all the magic we have, but we have no idea what that demon was and what kind of injury it inflicted – if its talons were poisonous, and if so, what kind of poison it was…without that kind of information there’s only so much we can do.”

Alec swallows hard. There’s a scream building in his throat and it takes him four tries to speak around it. “You knew who I was.”

The woman who’d spoken to him flashes him the briefest of glances before returning her attention to her work. “Yes. Dot and Magnus and I have been friends for centuries. He’s mentioned you – quite often over the past several weeks. You weren’t difficult to recognize.”

“You’re Catarina,” Alec realizes. “Magnus has mentioned you too.”

He sees her lips twitch in a smile even though she doesn’t look up. Unfortunately, the smile quickly vanishes and is replaced with a grimace. “Dammit.”

“What’s wrong?” Alec asks, his heart in his throat.

“We can’t stabilize him. There’s something – I don’t know. Something’s blocking our efforts. It must be some side effect of the demon’s poison.”

Alec’s head snaps up and he quickly scans the surrounding area. There – standing several feet away, facing in their direction and clearly watching them, is Asmodeus. He’s still standing in the same spot from before, when Magnus had been approaching him – before Magnus had pushed Alec out of harm’s way and gotten himself –

“Where are you going?” Catarina asks, sounding startled. “Alec?”

Alec doesn’t answer her. He doesn’t look back as he marches across the field they’ve all been fighting in and moves closer to Asmodeus – who remains where he is, watching Alec approach with a smirk on his face like this is all some amusing game for him.

“Alexander,” Asmodeus says when Alec comes to a stop before him.

“Don’t call me that.”

“My apologies, I forgot that only _my son_ is allowed to say it. You two really do make a sweet couple, if you’ll allow me to say so.”

Alec doesn’t bother to respond to that. “You know what I want,” he says when it becomes clear that Asmodeus isn’t going to ask.

“I do,” Asmodeus agrees. “But first – let’s go somewhere more private to discuss this, hmm?” Before Alec can reply, Asmodeus snaps his fingers and a wall of fire leaps up around them. Alec flinches instinctively, but the flames never touch him; a moment later, he finds himself standing across from Asmodeus in what appears to be a cave.

It’s definitely one of the most stylish caves he’s ever been in. Although the ground beneath his feet is red packed dirt, there are dozens of candles lined around the space, illuminating everything in a soft glow. Several pieces of furniture and piles of books make up the decorations. If he didn’t know any better, Alec would’ve called the place homey. But he does know better.

“This is Edom, yes,” Asmodeus says, confirming Alec’s suspicions. “Home sweet home. In case you’re wondering, I had drawn a pentagram in the dirt before you arrived. When you approached me in the field, you stepped right into it. That’s how I managed to bring us here, far away from prying eyes. And now, without further ado – tell me. What is it that you want from me, hmm?”

“You already know what it is.”

“Yes, but it’s _so_ much more fun if you explain it to me. I wouldn’t be opposed if you wanted to beg for it, either.” 

Magnus’ life is at stake and that means Alec is willing to do literally anything at this point. Including begging a Greater Demon. “Magnus is hurt and I need you to save his life. Please. I’ll do anything.”

“Now _that_ is music to my ears.” Asmodeus settles down in a nearby chair that looks more like a throne than anything. “And what are you willing to offer me in return?”

“I just said I’ll do anything,” says Alec. “Just name it.”

Alec hates the amused smirk playing at the corners of Asmodeus’ mouth. “Your life?”

Alec only hesitates a second, but it’s long enough for Asmodeus’ smirk to widen. “Well well well, you’re already having doubts with my first suggestion?”

Alec rolls his eyes. Greater Demon he may be, but Asmodeus is getting on his nerves, and Alec’s beyond caring about the best way to act around him at this point. “No doubts. Do whatever you want. As long as Magnus is going to be ok, I don’t really care what happens to me.”

“I have to say, you’re quite the unusual human,” Asmodeus remarks. “Usually most humans I speak with are begging me to _stay_ alive, yet here you are, desperate for the opposite.”

“It’s not like I want to die. It’s just that Magnus living is more important.”

“Interesting,” Asmodeus murmurs, leaning back in his throne and studying Alec carefully. “You know, I attempted to kill you when you were but an infant.”

That distracts Alec for a moment. “You what?”

“Yes. When you were born I became aware of a prophecy that you were destined to kill me. I immediately sent two of my faithful servants to complete the task. They were Mundanes with the Sight, and had sold their souls to me in return for eternal riches or glory or something boring and human like that. They had always done everything I asked with no hesitation, but apparently, murdering a human infant was too much for them. They took you to an orphanage and then lied to me and claimed the task was complete.

“Restricted to Edom as I was, I had little to no way of confirming the validity of this claim. Moreover, I had no reason to believe that my loyal followers would lie to me. For years I believed you to be dead, until a sighting of you, alive and well, was reported to me. I briefly considered having you murdered right away, but then it occurred to me how much more pleasant it would be if I involved Magnus. Forcing him to deceive you against his will, then watching him fall in love with you…it really makes everything so much sweeter, doesn’t it?”

Assuming the question is rhetorical, Alec doesn’t answer and instead waits silently for the demon’s next move, but when Asmodeus does nothing further, he crosses his arms across his chest and asks, “Ok, fine, but why are you bothering to drag it out now? You already hurt Magnus enough, so now there’s nothing preventing you from just killing me with a snap of your fingers. Something you also could have done back in that field. Why bring me back to Edom at all when you spent literally centuries trying to escape from here?”

“Why, Alec. I’m a bit disappointed in you. Anyone who’s dated my son must know by now that we have a flair for the _dramatic._ What kind of Greater Demon would I be if I just snapped my fingers and you dropped dead? Where’s the sophistication in that? No. Bringing you here and dragging out your death ensures maximum pain. Why, just think of how my son will react when he finds out I murdered the love of his life in the very same place he imprisoned me? That will be…poetic. Devastatingly so. Magnus will likely never recover.”

Asmodeus seems so pleased at the idea that Alec feels sick to his stomach. “Fine. We’ve established that. I just have one condition and then you can kill me.”

“Condition?” Asmodeus repeats, sounding delighted. “I think you’re misunderstanding the situation. I’m going to kill you no matter what. Your conditions are meaningless and have no effect on the inevitable.”

“But if you’re going to kill me regardless, then it’s not a big deal for you to fulfill the condition,” Alec points out.

Asmodeus stares at him for a moment before he begins laughing. He laughs for so long that Alec actually checks his watch. Finally Asmodeus’ laughter fades. “You are certainly the boldest Nephilim I have ever met. But very well, you’ve convinced me. I will grant you your condition.”

“You give Magnus his magic and immortality back.”

“Hmm. That would mean losing my control over him. And yet…I do see the appeal in returning what I stole from him at the same time that I kill his lover. I’ll give at the same time that I take away.” He sounds positively dreamy at the idea.

Alec grits his teeth and checks his watch. It’s now been a full five minutes since they landed in Edom. Who knows how Magnus is doing or if Dot and Catarina’s magic is even helping him? They don’t have time for this.

“Kneel down,” Asmodeus says abruptly.

Alec drops to his knees without hesitation and meets Asmodeus’ gaze.

Asmodeus lifts one hand and Alec does his best not to flinch. He’s afraid, of course he is, but he’s committed to this 100%. Making sure Magnus lives and gets his magic back is the most important thing in the world to him and if he has to die for that to happen, then so be it. He just hopes that Magnus doesn’t take his death too hard. _Forgive me,_ he thinks, squeezing his eyes shut and conjuring up an image in his mind of Magnus earlier today, when they’d been in bed together and Magnus had told Alec he loved him –

A burning sensation suddenly erupts on every inch of his skin. Gasping, he looks down and sees runes popping up everywhere he can see. It feels like they’re leaving a trail of fire in their wake but they’re unmistakably the Shadowhunter mark, the same he’s seen on Isabelle, Clary, and Maryse. At first the pain is too intense for him to think beyond it, but after a moment it hits him what must be happening: he’s done it. He’s finally received his runes, the goal he’s been working toward all year.

He doesn’t understand why it’s happening now, or at all, but he doesn’t care. Having runes changes everything. Alec glances up at Asmodeus and sees the demon staring at him, visibly stunned. That’s great for him – as long as Asmodeus is distracted, he actually has a chance of catching him off guard long enough to distract him. He reaches behind his back for his bow and arrows and looks down at the runes on his arm. He doesn’t recognize any of them or know what any of them mean, but something about the rune above his left wrist catches his eye. Acting on instinct, he lifts his right hand to touch it and feels the sudden weight of an object in his hand.

This one Alec does recognize. It’s a thin silver rod with markings engraved in it - a stele, like the one Isabelle and Maryse had shown him they day they'd first met. Despite never having held one before, it fits perfectly in his hand, and he somehow knows exactly what to do. He touches the tip of the stele to the rune that had captured his attention before. It flares with a painful heat, but he grits his teeth and waits it out until he begins to feel the power from the rune coursing through him.

Asmodeus is getting to his feet now. “I don’t know what trick you’re pulling, Shadowhunter, but don’t for a second think –”

Alec jumps to his feet and aims his bow at Asmodeus’ sternum. He’s studied enough about demons to know where the demonic core is located. He doesn’t hesitate as he lets an arrow fly.

It pierces the exact spot Alec had been aiming for. There’s a moment where Alec thinks maybe it hasn’t worked, because Asmodeus sneers at him and takes another step forward; Alec tenses, his mind already flitting through different methods of defense – but then Asmodeus suddenly jerks to a halt. He looks down at his chest as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

The demon’s gaze snaps up to Alec and for a moment they just stare at each other without moving. Then Asmodeus begins to shudder. His body is trembling so violently that Alec automatically takes a step away from him. He tightens his grip on the silver stele just in case, but it doesn’t look as if Asmodeus poses a threat to him any longer; he ceases shuddering, but only because his body has become encased in a blinding light that hides him from Alec’s view. Alec starts to squint away from the painful light, but before he can fully look away, he suddenly hears an anguished scream, followed by an eerie silence.

Alec stares. The bright light is gone, and so is Asmodeus. There’s nothing to be seen – not a single shred of evidence that someone else used to be standing there. It’s like the demon had never existed.

Alec’s heart is still pounding with leftover adrenaline, but he ignores that, knowing he has no time to waste. He crouches down and uses his stele to draw a pentagram on the ground. He’s mostly going from memory based on the pentagrams he’s seen so far, considering he’s never drawn one before, but luck is on his side tonight, and after a few minutes, he’s stepping into the pentagram and then stumbling out of it in the field a moment later.

From here he can see that Dot and Catarina are still in the same place he’d left them. Paying attention to nothing else, he sprints toward them. Vaguely he’s aware that the fighting in the field seems to have slowed down significantly, but that fails to capture his attention; all he cares about is Magnus.

Both women look up as he skids toward them. “Magnus?” he rasps out when he’s in earshot. “Is he –”

“Alexander?”

“Magnus!” Alec drops to his knees next to him and reaches out. “You – are you –”

“I’m fine,” Magnus assures him. “I’m completely fine.”

“You were – but I saw you get –”

“I have my magic back,” Magnus interrupts. “I don’t know how, but – I have it back and it healed me. I’m completely fine.”

Alec finally releases the sob he’s been holding back this entire time and reaches for Magnus, desperate to touch him, to feel him and prove to himself that he’s ok. Their mouths meet but it’s impossible for them to kiss because they’re both trembling so hard. Alec presses their foreheads together and just breathes Magnus in, so absolutely, overwhelmingly relieved that Magnus is ok that he can barely breathe for it. His fingers dig so tightly into Magnus’ shoulders that it must be painful, but Magnus doesn’t seem to notice; he’s staring back at Alec with tears glistening in his eyes.

“You’re all right?” he asks, his voice shaking. “That demon – I saw it behind you and I panicked –”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Alec tells him.

“I had to –”

“Where did you go?” Dot interrupts suddenly.

Alec turns his head to look at her, surprised. It’s the first time she’s spoken tonight, and she sounds almost accusatory.

“What?” Magnus asks, when Alec doesn’t answer right away. “What does she mean, Alexander?”

“I –”

“You went to Edom, didn’t you?” Dot asks, without taking her eyes off of him. “You made some kind of deal with Asmodeus.”

“No,” Magnus breathes, and it’s amazing how much heartbreak he’s able to pack into that single syllable. “Alexander….you didn’t….”

Alec looks back down at him. “I had to,” he says, echoing Magnus’ earlier words.

“What did you do?” Magnus asks urgently, his gaze not leaving Alec’s face.

“I made him promise to give your magic and immortality back,” Alec says, “and then I killed him.”

There’s a stunned silence from everyone. Behind him, Alec can hear fighting sounds, but they all sound distant enough that he immediately puts them out of his mind again.

“You – you _killed_ him?” Cat asks, voice hushed. “How did you do that? He’s a Greater Demon. And you killed him in his home dimension?”

“I don’t know,” Alec says. “I just…” He hesitates, looking down at Magnus. Magnus still looks so devastated that Alec is reluctant to say this next part. He decides to just say it as quickly as possible and get it over with. “I offered to let Asmodeus kill me in exchange for Magnus being healed and getting his magic and immortality back.” He ignores the pained noise Magnus makes when he says “kill me” and continues. “Then I noticed runes appearing on my body, and I – it was weird, I still don’t really understand, but I had runes all of a sudden and then there was a stele in my hand –”

“A stele?” Dot repeats, cutting in. She’s staring at Alec with an inscrutable expression on her face.

“A stele," Alec reiterates. "Somehow I just knew what to do, so I activated one of my runes with the stele and shot an arrow into his demonic core and killed him.”

“Just like that?” Cat questions.

“Just like that,” Alec confirms.

There’s another moment of silence. Alec can hear Magnus breathing heavily next to him and glances down at him again. “Why would you do that?” Magnus whispers.

“Because I love you,” Alec answers.

“Alexander –” Magnus shakes his head, staring up at him with a wondrous expression. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”

“And I can’t believe you jumped in front of a demon for me,” Alec replies. “How about we call it even, huh?”

“Deal,” Magnus says, laughing shakily.

“Alec!” another voice calls from behind them. Alec looks up and sees Isabelle, Clary, and Maryse running toward him. Isabelle is the one who had called his name.

“Are you ok?” Isabelle asks as they reach him.

“We’re all fine,” Alec replies. “You?”

“Fantastic. All of the demons have been defeated. We have to send out another couple of patrols to be certain, but we’re pretty sure it’s all taken care of.”

“Casualties?”

“None to speak of. Nearly everyone has minor injuries but nothing serious.”

“Alec,” Maryse says sharply, “since when do you have those runes?”

“Oh, um, about….fifteen minutes?“

“What exactly happened in the past fifteen minutes?” Clary asked, her eyes wide.

Alec hesitates for a moment but then explains it as briefly as possible. When he finishes, all three Shadowhunters are gaping at him.

“That explains it then,” Isabelle says. “Your runes. You were willing to sacrifice your life for another. That’s an essential part of being a Shadowhunter.”

Alec’s heart thuds in his chest. This is what he’s been striving for his entire life – belonging to a family, finally feeling like he has a home. It feels almost unreal, to have finally achieved what he wants after all this time.

“You mean, I can come live in Idris now?” Alec glances down at Magnus. “I don’t know how that will work, but we can talk about it later, maybe you could come visit –”

An unreadable expression flashes across Magnus’ expression. “Alexander,” he says quietly, “Downworlders aren’t allowed in Idris.”

Alec stares at him in disbelief. Certain he’s misheard, he looks up at Isabelle for confirmation, only to see her biting her lip, obviously uncomfortable. “It’s true,” she admits. “It’s – well, it’s a very old law, but –”

“Let me get this right.” Alec disentangles himself from Magnus and gets to his feet. “You’re telling me that if I want to move to Idris and live with my family, I have to leave Magnus behind?”

“Well, you could – you could come back to Brooklyn to visit him,” Isabelle suggests, but Alec cuts her off.

“The first time we met, you said yourself that Shadowhunters only leave Idris when they’re alerted of demon threats in the Mundane world. How often would I be able to visit him exactly?

“And besides, that’s not the point. I’ve been trying my whole life to find a place where I belong, to find a family I can fit in with, and now you’re telling me that in order to achieve that, I have to move to a place that forbids the love of my life from even visiting?”

“Alec,” Maryse says, her tone of voice making it obvious she is trying to placate him, “it’s an old law, but that doesn’t mean we all agree with it. It’s just the way it is, but –”

“‘It’s just the way it is’? You’re joking. That’s –”

“Alec, this can’t really come as a shock to you. It’s like Izzy and I said when we first met you, you can’t enter Idris without runes. That’s why we’ve been trying to help you access your runes ever since, so you could come home to us.”

“I just thought – I thought that was just for Shadowhunters. That Shadowhunters couldn’t enter Idris without runes. If I had known that it applied to Downworlders too –”

“It’s because Downworlders are part demon,” Dot says suddenly.

Alec turns to look at her. “What?”

“Downworlders are part human, part demon. Shadowhunters are part human and part angel. Shadowhunters consider it their sacred duty to defeat demons, and considering all Downworlders have demon blood –” She shrugs.

Alec suddenly understands. This is why Dot had been so silent when they’d first arrived and let Cat do all the talking. It’s why Alec had never been able to decipher the expression on her face whenever she’d looked at him. She’d been mistrustful of him from the start, knowing he was a Shadowhunter, runes or not. It wasn’t until she’d seen him defend Magnus that she’d considered the possibility she may trust him.

He turns back to Clary, Isabelle, and Maryse. “You aren’t fucking serious.”

“Alec –” Isabelle tries, but Alec cuts her off.

“No. I’m leaving. I’ll find some way to contact you later, but for now, consider this my official rejection of your invitation. Fuck Idris. Magnus?”

Magnus had scrambled to his feet at the same time that Alec had. When Alec turns to look at him, their gazes lock right away. “Alexander, are you sure about this?” Magnus asks, his voice so soft and quiet Alec can barely make it out.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Alec steps back into Magnus’ space and reaches for Magnus’ hand. “I’ll choose you every time, Magnus. Never doubt that.”

Magnus’ breath hitches. Without bothering to look back at the other three Shadowhunters, Alec wraps an arm around Magnus and walks away, Dot and Catarina at their sides.


	9. Chapter 9

They return to Magnus’ apartment because it’s closest. Dot and Catarina stay for awhile, the four of them curled up together on Magnus’ couch without talking. Alec realizes he’s in the company of Magnus’ closest friends and stays silent as he watches them talking quietly with one another. After awhile they exchange hugs, then the women get to their feet.

“Thank you for what you did for Magnus,” Catarina says, stopping in front of him.

“There’s no need to thank me. I had no other choice.”

“You had the choice to not save him. No one made you offer your life in exchange for his.”

“Then there was no other choice I wanted to make,” Alec corrects. That makes Dot smile. It’s a tiny one and gone so quickly he almost thinks he imagined it, but it’s there nonetheless. When she walks past him, she allows her hand to briefly brush against his, and he recognizes the gesture as the approval it is.

Once the two women are gone, Alec returns to the couch and pulls Magnus into his lap. Magnus goes willingly, but when Alec attempts to kiss him, Magnus pulls away.

“Babe?” Alec asks, frowning. “Is everything ok?”

Magnus shakes his head. “I’m just – still struggling to process everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours. You found out that I orchestrated our entire relationship because I was working for my father, who wanted to kill you. You accepted that and forgave me instantly. Then you offered to sacrifice yourself to your father for me, but somehow walked out of Edom having killed my father and gotten me my magic and immortality back. I just…can’t understand why you would do all of that for me.”

Alec’s frown deepens. “Because I love you. I would do anything for you.”

“You love me that much? You just turned you back on your family, you rejected your home. You’ve been working toward this your whole life, and you just –”

“Magnus,” Alec interrupts. “You’re my home now. I thought it was them, I thought it was the Shadowhunters and Idris, but I was wrong. All I really wanted was the feeling that I belonged, that I was important to others. But I don’t need Idris for that. I have you. Sometimes home isn’t a place, it’s a person. And you’re that person.”

“Alexander…” Magnus shakes his head, but then forgoes the rest of his sentence to lean forward and kiss Alec instead. It’s messy and desperate and Alec loves it.

“I love you too,” Magnus tells him in between kisses. “I love you so much, Alexander…”

“I meant what I said earlier,” Alec breathes against Magnus’ mouth. “I’ll choose you every time, no matter what.”

Magnus moans into Alec’s mouth and his hands fly down to Alec’s belt. “Please, I need –”

“Every time,” Alec repeats as he and Magnus’ hands work together to remove his belt. “Every time, Magnus.”

“So will I,” Magnus says breathlessly. “I’ll always choose you, Alexander.”

Alec presses Magnus down into the couch and covers Magnus’ body with his. “We need –”

Magnus snaps his fingers and Alec startles in surprise when a bottle of lubricant appears in Magnus’ hand. “You –”

“Magic,” Magnus explains, grinning. “It’s like riding a bike.”

“How about you ride something else tonight,” Alec murmurs, and is surprised once again when Magnus bursts out laughing.

“I’m – I’m sorry,” Magnus wheezes in between giggles. “I’m not laughing at you – it’s just –”

“Sorry,” says Alec, his lips twitching with his own smile. “That was probably the opposite of sexy, huh?”

“No,” Magnus assures him, “it wasn’t that bad. It’s just – can we stay like this? I like feeling you on top of me like this. It makes me feel…safe.”

“Of course.” Alec takes the bottle of lubricant from Magnus’ hand and coats his fingers with it. Magnus falls silent, watching Alec with quiet fascination. The mood shifts from frantic to something calmer. The need is still there but they realize they can take their time, that there’s no rush. They have each other and neither of them is going anywhere.

Neither of them can get enough of each other. After everything they’ve been through tonight – Magnus throwing himself in front of that demon to keep Alec safe, and Alec being willing to die if it would save Magnus – they’re both desperate to translate everything they’re feeling from the emotional to the physical.

Hours later they stagger from the couch to the bed, where they continue right where they’d left off. It’s hours later still when they finally collapse, exhausted. “I can’t feel my legs,” Magnus gasps out.

“Me neither.” Alec rolls over to face him. “I say tomorrow we spend the entire day in bed. I’ll bring you breakfast but other than that we don’t move.”

“Sounds like a dream,” Magnus murmurs. “I’d lean in to kiss you now, but as already stated, I can’t move my legs.”

Alec chuckles and rolls closer to press a light kiss to Magnus’ lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Magnus whispers. Alec brushes a kiss against Magnus’ forehead as well before moving back to curl up at his side. Between one breath and the next, they’re both asleep.

Their breakfast in bed is rudely interrupted the next morning by a loud knock on the front door.

“Catarina?” Alec suggests, but Magnus shakes his head. “I don’t sense her magic. It’s no warlock.”

Alec sighs but pulls on one of Magnus’ robes and pads into the foyer. When he opens the front door, he’s stunned to see his mother and sister on the other side.

“How did you find me?” he demands.

“Tracking rune,” Isabelle explains. “Alec – about last night –”

“If you’re here to try to convince me to come to Idris with you –”

“No, that’s not it,” Maryse says. “Alec, we heard what you said last night, and we realized that you’re right. The way Shadowhunters in Idris treat Downworlders – it’s not right. We need someone like you to speak up and foster change within our community. It will be a long and gradual process, but we’re ready to see it through. Will you help us?”

“I’m not setting foot in Idris, not as long as Magnus isn’t allowed to accompany me,” Alec starts to say heatedly, but a sudden noise from behind him makes him pause.

“Alexander,” Magnus says, appearing at his side. “You can’t afford to be so stubborn. If you want to make real change, you’ll need to actually speak with the leaders in Idris.”

“But you –”

“I understand,” Magnus says softly, reaching down to squeeze Alec’s hand. “But this is the only way. If you don’t do this, nothing will ever change.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” Alec protests.

“You won’t. It will only be temporary. And I’ll be right here waiting for you when you return.”

“You’re sure you’re ok with this?” Alec double-checks.

“I’m sure. As long as you are?”

Alec sighs and looks back at his mother and sister. “I’ll come with you back to Idris. But not today. I need time to prepare what I’m going to say. We can leave tomorrow.”

“In the meantime,” Magnus says, “would you like to join us for breakfast?”

Isabelle’s face lights up. “Yes please.”

Magnus leads them into the kitchen, where he summons his and Alec’s breakfast from the bedroom and then duplicates it. Alec spends the rest of the morning together with his family, laughing and talking and, in Maryse and Isabelle’s case, getting to know one another. At one point, Alec looks over to see Magnus laughing at something Isabelle has just said and Isabelle looking delighted in response, and his heart feels full. He finally has everything he’s ever wanted.


	10. Chapter 10

“Babe?” Alec calls out as he enters the loft.

“In the apothecary!” Magnus’ voice answers a second later.

Alec makes his way across the living room and enters the apothecary, Magnus’ workspace for making potions, both for his clients and his own pleasure. Magnus is bent over one of his spellbooks, clearly deeply immersed in what he’s reading, but when Alec steps up to him and bends to kiss Magnus’ temple, Magnus immediately looks up from the book.

“Darling! Welcome home. How was work?”

“Long and boring. My day is so much better now that I’m here with you.”

Magnus’ face lights up with a radiant smile. “Oh, Alexander. How do you always do that?”

“Do what?” Alec asks, smiling and leaning in to steal a kiss.

“Act as if you haven’t seen me every single day for the past ten years.” Magnus steals a kiss for himself, and for a few minutes they’re distracted with greeting each other after a long day apart.

“I may have seen you every day for the past 10 years, but that doesn’t change the fact that seeing you is still the best part of my day,” Alec says when they pull apart.

Magnus’ smile widens even further. “It’s the same for me, my darling. Are you hungry? There’s some food in the fridge for you if you want it.”

“Only if you come join me,” Alec replies, already tugging on Magnus’ arm to get him away from his table.

“I’ve already eaten,” Magnus says, but Alec’s response to that is, “Just sit with me then, I haven’t seen you all day and I want your company.” Magnus doesn’t argue with that, and a couple of minutes later they’re sitting in the kitchen together, Alec eating lasagna and offering Magnus a bite from his fork every few minutes. It’s without a doubt the best part of Alec’s day so far, and he’s so indescribably grateful that he gets to have this, every day.

Things haven’t always been easy for them. When Alec had first joined Maryse and Isabelle in Idris, the amount of work required to simply meet with the Council and get them to listen to his ideas had taken months. Once Alec had a seat on the council, it had taken longer still to persuade the Council that there should be Institutes in every major city around the world to not only improve the Shadowhunters’ ability to protect the innocent, but also to help the Nephilim connect with the world and truly understand what it was they were fighting to protect. Maryse and Isabelle had joined Alec in creating the New York Institute and the best outcome of that had been Maryse’s permanent proximity to Luke – the two of them had been married for nine years now and were still going strong.

The biggest challenge had undoubtedly been convincing the others that creating relationships with the local Downworld leaders would be beneficial. Alec had only just managed to set up a regular meeting between him, the Head of the New York Institute, and the other Downworld higher-ups within recent weeks. His next major goal was to allow Downworlders into Idris and to give them Council seats, but that was going to take some time.

All of Alec’s struggles with the Council had taken up a vast portion of his time, and since his presence had either been required in Idris for most of it, or required him to spend all of his time at the New York Institute to make sure it was functioning smoothly, that had meant he and Magnus didn’t always have time to see one another on a regular basis. Magnus was often busy with his own duties as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and his schedule had often clashed with Alec’s. That had placed quite a bit of strain on their relationship, but both of them had refused to give up, and now that the Institute is in order, their schedules are finally beginning to work themselves out.

An even bigger strain on their relationship had been the fight they’d had about Alec’s mortality. Magnus had demanded to know why Alec had insisted on getting his immortality back from Asmodeus, to which Alec had snapped back that it hadn’t been his right to decide what should be done with it.

“I was returning something to you that had been stolen,” Alec had explained, feeling like tearing his hear out after having said the same thing a million times by now. “I don’t understand what you don’t get about this.”

“And what _you_ don’t understand is what it’s like to watch someone you love age and die in front of you while you’re powerless to stop it,” Magnus had shot back. “Alexander…I’m going to lose you one day and I honestly don’t know how I’ll ever recover from that.” His voice had shaken so much that Alec had felt the fight drain out of him instantly.

“Hey,” he’d soothed, pulling Magnus into his arms and rubbing his hands up and down Magnus’ back. “It’s going to be ok. We’ll figure this out, ok? You and me, together. Like we always do.”

Magnus hadn’t responded to that, had simply buried his face in Alec’s chest and remained silent. Alec had gone to Clary the very next day and, without preamble, said: “I know you’re capable of creating new runes so I need you to make me one for immortality.”

Clary had, understandably, been a bit taken aback, but once Alec had explained why he needed it, she’d been more than happy to help. She’d created a new rune called Alliance, which she applied to both Alec and Magnus. Magnus could safely wear the rune even though they were usually fatal to Downworlders. The rune allowed Alec and Magnus to share in one another’s powers, including Magnus’ immortality. She’d also added an extra something special to make the rune permanent, so it wouldn’t fade and need reapplication like most other runes did.

That had been eight years ago and the rune was still working perfectly. Alec hadn’t aged a day since Clary had first drawn the rune on him and he couldn’t be happier with the decision. The idea of being with Magnus forever – literally forever, all of eternity – was nothing short of paradise to him. 

Alec suddenly lowers the fork, which still has a piece of lasagna on it, when it’s halfway to Magnus’ mouth and sets it down instead.

“Hey,” Magnus says, pouting. “What are you doing? I was looking forward to that.”

“You said you weren’t hungry,” Alec reminds him.

“I didn’t say that. I said I’d already eaten.”

“Pretty much the same thing.”

“Is not. Besides, it’s very good lasagna.”

“You made it yourself,” Alec points out, rolling his eyes for effect. “Don’t compliment yourself.”

“I can if it’s well-deserved, which in this case, I think it is.”

Alec shakes his head, smiling, and picks up Magnus’ hand so he can admire the wedding ring there. He’s been looking at that ring every day for the past eight years and he still doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it.

“You’re my husband,” he says softly, his eyes still glued to the ring.

Instead of making fun of him for pointing out the obvious, Magnus smiles and looks down at the ring too. “I am.”

“I love you so much,” Alec whispers, his gaze flitting up to lock with Magnus’. “Come to bed with me?”

There’s a slight hitch in Magnus’ breathing. “What about dinner?” he asks, just a bit breathlessly.

“We’ll finish it later,” Alec says, standing up and pulling Magnus to his feet, then gently pushing him toward the doorway.

As they stumble into the bedroom together, Alec can’t help but feel grateful for every moment in his life that has led to this. It sounds strange, to feel grateful that a Greater Demon had set out to kill him and employed his son to make it happen, but if Asmodeus hadn’t ordered Magnus to meet him, who knows if they’d ever have met. New York is a huge city, after all, and what are the chances that without Asmodeus’ influence, they would have bumped into each other and Magnus would have been so charmed by Alec’s clumsiness that he would have invited him out to dinner?

But then again, Alec amends as he allows himself to be pushed down on the bed and straddled by his husband, he’s sure they would have found another way to meet. Him and Magnus, they were meant to be. Alec isn’t sure if he believes in fate or destiny, but he just knows that his love for Magnus, and Magnus’ for him, was meant to exist and to flourish. If it hadn’t blossomed to life in that coffee shop in Brooklyn, it would have happened somewhere else, he’s sure of it. Because he and Magnus were always meant to find their way to each other.


End file.
